September 2023 Surf Sessions
9-30-23 No surfing: 2-3 ft
Waves Surfed: 20
The surf had finally calmed down a bit after the past couple of days. I had a look at Hueneme and Strand. Both were hardly palatable. I could have got a few small ones at Hueneme but taking into consideration I had to work an eleven hour wedding up in Santa Ynez Valley I decided to let the marginal surf day go. Instead my wife, Bizarro and I went and enjoyed a bit of the Port Hueneme Banana Festival. If you have never been I highly recommend making the trip. As for the wedding it was a very high profile, high end wedding that had six courses on a gorgeous 100 ache ranch. Though exhausting the wedding came off perfectly. I on the other hand didn’t get home till after two in the morning. Such is the life of a struggling surfboard shaper having to moonlight as a catering chef.
9-29-23 PM Session: 3-4+ ft, Pitas
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 20
Miles Driven: 38
I had a lunch to work in Carpinteria leaving either the very early morning to surf or the afternoon/evening. With a six foot morning high tide I decided to just opt for the afternoon. My gig was at the Rotary Club of Carpinteria off the 192. I had never been to this venue before and was very impressed. It’s definitely a cool outdoor venue. Just like yesterday I was working a pit BBQ grilling chicken, Tri Tip and Ribs for 300 people. The food came out great as usual and the guests were happy. I finished up around two and headed for the points. Rincon looked small and weaker than yesterday. I got word that Pitas was decent and that the Ship was still clean and solid. I stopped off at Pitas first since it was on my way south. There was definitely some decent chest to head high sets coming in with only about ten guys on it or so. Conditions were oil glass. The waves were a little soft but the tide was still dropping leading me to believe it would only get better (it didn’t). I wasn’t the only one with this in mind and by the time I jumped in the crowd was twenty strong. The top was broken up into two if not at times three peaks and I’m pretty scrappy and had no trouble finding waves to ride. I don’t know if I was tired from the gig but I just couldn’t find my rhythm out there. Besides a few moments of brilliance the bulk of my session was masked by mediocrity. That being said I still had blast. Ryan, his son Evan, Gordo, Phil and a few other dudes I know were out and everyone was getting their share. I’ll take it.
9-28-23 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 56
I was pleasantly surprised when I got a call from my wife on her way to SB for work that she saw some head high sets at Rincon. Just like yesterday I had an event to work up that way. Still I decided to have a look at Strand just to rule it out. Ship wasn’t bad despite being a bit fat tide and crowded. I half way wanted to pull the trigger and paddle. But point surf was calling and I headed north. Pitas was my first stop and it was solid but also too high tide for my window though I was pretty sure it was going to get sick and borderline epic by early afternoon, which Ryan and a few other guys I know would later confirm. I ended up at Rincon where although a little slow and soft there were some solid classic Rincon runners in the chest plus range. I spent most of my time grabbing waves from Lower Indicator to Middle River Mouth. There were even some lefts to be had. My best wave was a head high screamer I rode through the River Mouth all the way to the middle of the Cove and I probably could have ran it all the way to the freeway if some dude on a log didn’t burn and fade me. That was fine cause I paddled back out and got one from Low River Mouth to mid Cove that had four solid top to bottom hit sections. I ended my session on a solid one that ran the full Cove to the Freeway. I forgot how much better Rincon is then any of the Malibu points I have been begrudgingly surfing all summer long. What a day, and the season is just getting heated up. Let’s go El Nino!! As far as my gig went it was a fairly easy beach BBQ at Goleta Beach. There is nothing I like better then working Beach BBQ’s. It’s like getting paid to hang out on the beach and cook some food.
9-27-23 PM Session: 3-5+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 20
Miles Driven: 10
I guess I’m starting off this years NW swell season just like last year, making all the wrong surf decisions. After yesterday’s horrible results I really wanted to find some fun surf. Rather than spinning my wheels running around looking for sub par high tide surf I opted to get some of my ding repair load out of the way. I had to work a cocktail party in SB at 5:30 and probably should have just cruised up that way to surf. Instead I went back to Strand around noon where it was pretty foggy. Through the fog I saw C.C. get a sick left off the Ship. I saw enough for it to warrant a paddle. Pat. Agreed and out we went. Of course once in the water the fog cleared and it was a nice sunny day. The shape was better then I have seen it out there in a bit. I was trying out a redesign of the Clarks Surfboards Hacksaw Model I have been toying with for some time and finally had a chance to shape it up. The board felt pretty good for its first go. Unfortunately the steadily draining tide took a toll on the surf. We got a good hour in at the very least and I did manage a sick frontside tube. It was probably for the best because if the waves were absolutely firing I could have been late for work. From what I heard it had been good all morning. As far as the gig went I had an hour to put out appetizers for 100 people with only three servers. The guests were savage and I just about ran out of apps after the first thirty minutes. I did the best I could with what I was provided with. It wasn’t a gig I orchestrated. The event was through a third party caterer I work for sometimes and therefore I only had the food they set me up with. Can’t win them all I guess.
9-26-23 PM Session: 3-5+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr 15m
Waves Surfed: 8
Miles Driven: 20
Well the first NW swell of the year was upon us today and I wasn’t impressed. As a matter of fact I was downright disappointed. The channel was a mess with short period wind swell that was trashing the shape and besides Ventura Point the rest of the points were small. Ventura Harbor was walled, Strand was trash and Hueneme tiny. I decided to wait for the afternoon. I should have went up to the points where although small at the very least they had shape. Instead I decided to give North Strand a go. To its credit it appeared that there were some some decent waves to be had. The sets were well over head. I grabbed my good wave board and headed out there. The rips were terrible and most waves too fast or dumpy to be any good. I got a few before getting out and walking into the bowl where at the very least there were some barrels. Once again most waves were way too fast and dumpy to be any good. Overall it just felt like there was too much water moving around. I had one solid left tube that I came out of but then got jacked by the white water explosion after I came out. Besides that the session was trash. Hopefully tomorrow brings about better conditions.
9-25-23 AM Session: 1-3 ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 2
The surf was really down today and if it wasn’t for Jeffery’s froth I probably wouldn’t have even bothered. He wanted to paddle and being that the pier had really the only plausible wave to surf in the area I conceded. The thing about Hueneme in general unlike most other waves the smaller the surf gets the better and more rip-able the shape becomes. Though small for the first half hour or so we had blast tearing apart the knee to waist high pier wedges. Then I don’t know if the dropping tide killed it or what but it almost completely turned off. It was a bonus surf and fun none the less. The rest of my day was committed to ding repair.
9-24-23 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 2
More small background south swell had me back at Hueneme Pier ready to grovel. Once again similar to yesterday there were some kill-able close outs to have at. It was nothing to get too excited about. Basically I did my hour surf and headed home. My wife had to go into work at the museum in Santa Barbara leaving me the afternoon to get some extra ding repair done.
9-23-23 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 22
Miles Driven: 2
There was a tad more south swell in the water. Considering the still very tiny nature of the swell I just cruised up to Hueneme. Rockside was small and crowded for what was out there. The south side of the pier had some chest high waves coming through with a light crowd. It was mostly closed out but I did notice the occasional right wedge off the pier that looked almost kill-able. I paddled and my decided to film. Actually I had an alright session considering the absolutely deplorable surf. The rest of my day was spent working a wedding at the Moxi in Santa Barbara.
9-22-23 AM Session: 2-3 ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 16
Miles Driven: 12
The NW swell had just about completely dropped off as my morning Strand check had confirmed. There was some minor south in the water and the tide was mid to high. All signs pointed to Hueneme. The Pier was pretty closed out but I saw some peaks down at Rockside and headed there. The shape was decent but surf overall small with inconsistent sets. I found a peak to myself and made the most of the meager conditions though definitely was as frothy as I could have been. My wife played hooky from work and hung out on the shore and enjoyed the nice fall morning. It’s funny how fall just came in like a light switch. Hopefully so will the NW swells.
9-21-23 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 19
Miles Driven: 10
What you see isn’t always what you get. I woke up to a text from C.C. that the south bowl was popping. His “popping” is subjective but I was heading over there for a look regardless. As soon as I walked up the beach I saw a solid head high three wave set barrel and spit. It was enough to send me running back to my car. I paddled and managed a decent tube on my first wave. After that the surf steadily deteriorated till it was nothing but closed out backwashy peaks that I for the life of me couldn’t make any sense of. Some of the younger guys out there were killing it and I felt old and a bit dejected to watch and not be able to answer back. Such is the way of life. An older guy I respected, who was once one of the best guys around at my home break in Jersey told me these words “you can’t beat Father Time”. He was probably a little older then me when he said them and I the age of the guys running circles around me today. I’m stoked to still be able to surf as well as I do at my age. Every day in the water is always a blessing.
9-20-23 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 12
Miles Driven: 10
The buoys were showing even more wind swell. Though the period was a bit long and more west then yesterday I still headed back to Strand. The Ship was flat but there were waves from Tower 4 to the North Jetty. The tide was a bit too high for the north end. Ultimately I ended up paddling the bowl between Tower 3 & 4. The waves were solid over head but with the high tide and swell angle it was very back washy and dumpy. I managed a few ok ones. Overall I took way more beatings. Once again I had to be in SB for a catering gig and therefore I didn’t have a ton of time to surf. As far as the gig went what was supposed to be an easy four hour job turned into a crazy eight hour two job affair. Money is money.
9-19-23 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 16
Miles Driven: 10
There was some new NW wind swell on the buoys. I had a look at Strand and were clean chest plus corners were breaking in the bowl. The shape was ok and no one was out. I decided to paddle and Salar and Jeffrey joined me. C.C. showed up towards the end of my surf. Though a bit backwashy and tricky we were able catch some really good tubes out there of which I got two. Jeffery got a sick drainer as well. I would have surfed longer but I had to be in SB for another 8 hour day of kitchen prep. I’ll take what I got. Definitely more fun then what I have been surfing as of late.
9-18-23 No Sutfing: 2-3 ft,
Miles Driven: 2
There wasn’t much swell in the water and I once again had to go to SB to help one of the caterers that contract me out blast through an eight hour day of prep. Normally I say no to such days but with the surfboard business being so slow I got stuck needing to take on extra chef work to keep cash flow up. Rather than take two cars up to SB I opted to forgo the weak ass surf and just ride up with my wife. It was long tiring day to say the least.
9-17-23 No Sutfing: 2-3 ft,
Miles Driven: 2
I had an eleven hour two event day up in Santa Barbara. All there was time for was a session at Hueneme. It was small with average shape and a good number of guys out. I couldn’t get motivated to run out for a quick hour and considering the long day ahead of me I wasn’t particularly interested in adding the extra level of physical exertion to my already tired body. My first gig was a lunch in Montecito grilling tri-tip for 130 people. My second gig was a wedding for 100. Both went off with out a hitch and I was home by 11pm
9-16-23 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Zeros
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 18
Miles Driven: 42
I really wanted to surf local today since I had to work a cocktail party to work in Ventura. Actually it is to be my first gig in Ventura of my own booking. Due to the fact that my bar tender decided to flake on me I was to be responsible for both the food and bar. I haven’t tended bar in more then twenty years. Hueneme was crowded and uninspiring. Another LA run was inevitable. For the third time this week I was overlooking Zeros. It was the largest most consistent waves I had seen all morning and though crowded there was definitely room for me to get mine. Usually I have a terrible time out there on a Saturday but I got in the zone and surfed quite well as well as had a fun time. After the surf I did brunch with my wife before getting ready for my job. As far as the cocktail party went the food was all stationary platters, Chucuterie, Crudité, fruit and desserts leaving me free to play bar tender. Though I was rusty after a few pours I got back into the swing of things. By the end of the event I felt like Tom Cruise in “Cocktail”.
9-15-23 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, County Line
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 17
Miles Driven: 34
I had a look at Hueneme, which was still very underwhelming and crowded for what was out there. I saw some fun lines on the County Line cam and headed that way. Sure enough there were some chest plus rights running off the reef with a very light crowd and glassy conditions. That was good enough for me to paddle. I haven’t surfed County in about a month and that was the left on the backside. The surf was a bit on the weaker side then I had thought but there were some kill-able sections. My wife was working from home so rather than surf a long session in average waves I did an hour and headed home to meet her for lunch. The rest of my day was spent preparing for a cocktail party I have to both cook and bartend At tomorrow.
9-14-23 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Zeros
Time in Water: 1 hr 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 26
Miles Driven: 42
The south swell was definitely more prevalent today. Rather then waist time looking around an already windy Ventura I decided to cruise to LA. County was my first stop but the wind was already on it there. Leo was packed. Once again I found myself in the lot at Zeros. The thing about Zeros as opposed to many of its counterparts in the area is that it’s usually more consistent with three to four peaks and a manageable crowd. It may not be the best wave, but access is easy and if you’re a goofy foot it’s one of the few lefts around. There were a handful of guys out all surfing towards the beach. No one was on the point and I that is where I like surfing anyhow. As it turned out the lines were pretty decent and sets consistent. I got in the zone and was having a really good day out there. I rarely surf almost two hours but was having such a blast I completely lost track of time. The rest of my afternoon was spent shopping for an upcoming catering job.
9-13-23 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Zeros
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 19
Miles Driven: 52
The wind swell was gone and I found myself with Salar staring at flat ass Strand. We decided to jump in my car and chase the south swell down to LA. Zeros looked the best and the crowd was definitely manageable. Salar had actually never surfed there before, which is a trip for how many years he has lived here. It was pretty darn rip-able and we surfed and destroyed everything that came our way. I hit the rocks with the nose of my board after landing an air to fakie then when I brought it back around I smashed right into the rocks. Luckily I fell backwards and didn’t get hurt. The nose of my board on the other hand needs to be fixed. We had blast and at one point it was just us and two other guys out there. My only complaint was that it was a little lully. After the surf I had a bunch of errands to run and some ding repair to finish.
9-12-23 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 26
Miles Driven: 12
The surf was pretty terrible this morning. Hueneme looked more dumpy then yesterday and I heard the Harbor was pretty junky too. I was about to cruise to LA when Solar called and said he was thinking about paddling the ship. There was some minor wind-swell in the water. I drove over to Ship and it looked absolutely horrible, maybe waist plus with hard onshore wind all over it. I guess it was fun for Florida. I was about to bail when I saw Solar running up the beach with his board all suited up and ready to go. He made the commitment based on the fact that I was going to paddle also, though I never committed. I felt bad and decided to join him. It ended up being very rip-able waist to chest high wind chop. We are both gnarly scrappers and ripped the shit out of the terrible surf. Sometimes with the right state of mind and company absolutely terrible waves can be fun. The rest of my day was spent fixing dings.
9-11-23 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 23
Miles Driven: 2
There was some combo swell in the water and Hueneme was actually looking kind of sick. The waves were solid chest to head plus with light offshore winds. It was a tad closed out but I saw some corners and there were barrels everywhere. I ran into one of the Hueneme regulars and he was super stoked. I ran down to Rockside and picked off two decent rights. Then in classic Hueneme fashion it completely turned off. Whatever corners there were disappeared and the inside got super dumpy. Not to mention I was a bit under gunned on my 5’7. Rather then throw in the the towel I proceeded to get my ass beat for another hour and a half. I took some serious wipe outs. I did manage two barrels and a couple of turns but it was your standard Hueneme session, where if you see the good window happening while checking it you’re almost guaranteed to miss it. The rest of my day was spent fixing dings.
9-10-23 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Point Dume
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 18
Miles Driven: 56
After yesterdays boat ordeal I was completely wiped. Luckily the wind and conditions were far from optimal in Ventura. What else is new these days. I slept in and enjoyed a lazy morning in bed followed by brunch with my always lovely wife. Around 2ish I decided to cruise to LA to try and find some waves. Bizarro came along to film. The NW wind was already up pretty stiff leaving Leo, Dume and Malibu as the only real options. Leo was solid but packed. Dume though is usual inconsistent self only has a handful of guys on it and looked fun enough. I paddled and for about forty five minutes had the spot with only three other guys. It was way more consistent then the other day when I surfed it. I was feeling good out there for a change too thus put on a stellar performance. I would have surfed longer but as the session wore on the the crowd kept growing exponentially with old guys on bigger boards who just sat way outside and snagged any ripple that moved. I landed a decent air and came in, though not before getting pushed into the rocks and getting all cut up. I’ll say this, I think I had more fun then I had surfing out at the islands.
9-9-23 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Santa Cruz Island
Time in Water: 2.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 26
Miles Driven: 56
It’s been quite a while since I’ve had an island excursion, years actually. There is good reason for that; I rarely score to the point where it wasn’t worth the tremendous effort and the time such an endeavor consumes. It is ridiculous. Not to mention how physically and mentally worked the journey always leaves me. My buddy Forrest is a squid boat captain and has been trying to get me out to the islands with him for a surf all summer. So far every time he hits me up I had a previous engagement or couldn’t be away for the requisite 8-12 hours if not a few days. This morning when I woke up to a 7am text message from Forrest that Ventura sucked, was crowded or both, and as a result he wanted to take the boat out I gave it some serious consideration. My wife loves going out to the islands so she was on board. We needed one more person to pitch for gas and right as I was figuring out who to call I got a text from Ryan about how the surf was. I passed along the invite not expecting him to concede. To my surprise he was down. The crew was set and plans made to meet at Ventura Harbor around 10 AM. Boats are always problematic and nothing ever goes as smooth as expected. When we got to the boat it needed some minor cleaning and servicing before we could shove off forcing us not to get out of the harbor till after twelve. An afternoon strike would ensure less crowds as most leisure boaters like to leave the islands with enough time to get back before dark. Forrest being a certified and professional captain meant we didn’t have that concern. The crossing took around three hours on the heavy sixty four foot diesel work boat. Our first stop was Yellow Banks, which was the spot I was hoping to surf. The swell was a bit smaller than we had hoped and all that was really breaking was the inside of the point, which already had three boats and eight surfers on it. We checked two other spots in the vicinity ultimately making the call to go surf Mar Meadows figuring it always pulls the most swell of all the spots on that side of the island. It also is always the most crowded. When we got there only six guys were out. The wind was cross shore and although not hard it was definitely adding a bit of side chop on the right, the premiere direction for that reef. There is a left as well but it’s usually not as good and finishes up on a bouldery dry reef. I have ruined many of boards and lost skin to that end section on the left over the years. As we continued to watch the spot we realized sets were very inconsistent and only about head high plus at best. Ryan had never been surfing out at the islands and although the temptation of going fishing for blue fin was strong we decided to give the surf a go. By the time we got out into the line up only two guys remained, which is kind of unheard of during a swell on a weekend. Ryan and I paddled first while Forrest stayed behind not super frothy. Though not great it was way better than it looked. The cross shore wind was forcing the right to bowl around itself making the lip hard to connect top to bottom with, while almost completely flattening out the left. Time between sets was extremely long and with the high tide the inside ones were short and not worth potentially missing a set for. Ryan was stoked, claiming it one of his best sessions of the summer. I made the most of it as I always do. Forrest finally paddled for the last hour because the wind slacked off and the surf almost got glassy. At this point I did manage to get my best waves. After about forty five minutes the wind came back up harder than ever and we all paddled back to the boat. I have actually never made a channel crossing at night and unfortunately all that wind we were experiencing tore up the channel pretty bad and we found ourselves being tossed around in six foot plus seas. I got gnarly sea sick, my wife got thrown about the board before hunkering down below deck. As a result of the heavy seas we had to go an hour north out of our way to just combat the rough ocean. By the time the boat made it back to port it was after 11pm. Talk about a long exhausting but awesome day.
9-8-23 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hrs
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 2
With the fat morning tide and drop in swell I decided to have a look out front. It appeared that there were some chest high corners down by Rockside with only a handful of guys out. The wind was already beginning to come up out of the NW. I really wasn’t in the mood to drive anywhere thus I paddled. Once out there I realized it was just classic shitty closed out Hueneme. The only ones that peeled were the smallest waves on offer and they were pretty weak. I had two frontside tubes that were worth the stoke. My wife decided to work from home and when she quit for the day we cruised over to the base to play a round of golf. We actually shot our personal bests ever. Golf is a hard game to get the knack of so anytime we have even show the smallest of improvement we are stoked.
9-7-23 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 19
Miles Driven: 18
There was still some old south swell leftovers in the water and some slowly building fresh long period south swell. I should have just went to LA but instead decided to go see what was happening at Ventura Harbor. I had a business meeting about the future of Clarks Surfboards in Ventura that afternoon so it did make sense to surf over that way. I thought I saw some fun looking racy lines out at the River Mouth and suited up. As my luck always has it out there as soon as I began to run up the beach the wind also began to come up out of the WNW. I jumped in just above the mouth where I saw some mental looking shore breaky left wedges sweeping down the beach. They were sweeping so fast it was nearly impossible to be in the correct spot. I continued floating towards the Mouth where I lucked into a chest plus left that ran down the beach. It was so fast and steep that trimming was about all it did. The current on that side of the mouth was brutal forcing me to get out and walk back around. After that wave I wasn’t able to find anything that didn’t shut down. I did manage a quick tube and stuck a decent straight air. Besides that the session was laughable at best. I ran into this dude Nate whom I hadn’t seen in years and that’s because he had been living in NZ for two years. Excited to talk about my favorite place in the whole world I extended my session an extra half hour to hear all about his adventures even if the surf was complete trash. My Clarks Surfboards business meeting went well and I’m am very pumped for the future of the brand. If you haven’t tried one of my surfboards yet what are you waiting for? They are sick and at the low price of $585 for a custom you can’t go wrong. I’ll sweeten the deal even further. Mention you read this blog entry and I’ll take 10% off your order.
9-6-23 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Point Dume
Time in Water: 2.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 17
Miles Driven: 56
This has been by far the windiest summer I have ever experienced in Ventura. I would say five out of seven days of the week have been junk wind days. Most of these days it’s blown out before 9am. Add to that some of the worst sand we have had in years and it’s been an atrocious summer. Hopefully fall will be better. Jeffery hit me up from the Harbor that it was trash with WNW wind on it. We cruised to LA. County looked fun but the wind had followed us and was beginning to rear its ugly head. We bailed to Leo, which was stupid crowded. I told him I was going to roll the dice and head to Dume. Though he was on a limited time window Jeffery decided to come along. I did explain to him that it is a long walk to the wave and once out there the place can be super inconsistent. Sure enough when we got down to the beach it was very inconsistent and not nearly as big as we had hoped. Most sets were chest to head with the classic occasional macking set that is indicative of Dume. Only eight guys were out and though the pickings were slim the sets all had about six waves in them and were hitting all over the take off zone. Normally I would have bailed to Malibu but I felt bad that Jeffery was stuck due to his meager time constraints and paddled with him. Also as a result of this I allowed him to catch waves off of me as well so he could get his count up. I got two over head gems that ran down the reef perfectly. Besides that the rest of the surf was whatever. It was with out a doubt a classic Dume scenario.
9-5-23 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Zeros
Time in Water: 1 hr 45m
Waves Surfed: 25
Miles Driven: 42
The swell period and size had dropped and the hope was to get some beach break barrels on film. Jeffery was paddling Fruits and Bizarro and I were enroute to meet up with him. As we were crossing the bridge at Channel Islands Harbor I noticed the wind had really picked up hard out of the south. Biz and I made a stop at Shores to assess the situation and sure enough the channel was trashed with wind chop. The LA cams still looked clean making that the call. Zeros looked solid over head with a somewhat light crowd. For whatever reason I was having a shocker of a session falling on almost every wave. I even hit my board multiple times taking black and blues. Sure I managed a few runners but overall I was very disappointed with my performance. Upon arriving home I immediately stepped right into ding repair for the rest of the evening.
9-4-23 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Oxnard Shores
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 25
Miles Driven: 12
Thankfully the winds were calm this morning and surf still solid. Just like Saturday the Harbor was stupid crowded. I went back to Shores and though it didn’t look as good as a day ago it still looked pretty fun. Pat and I paddled and what ensued was an east coast style shore break rip fest. I had two draining tubes and one double barrel that was worth all the mental anguish I had gone through yesterday. Ryan, Evan and Gordo paddled . There really is something to be said about having a fun session with just a few of your friends. Sure it wasn’t the score or the spot of the swell, but the sun was shining, conditions glassy and company grand. McGil even paddled out and I can’t remember the last time I surfed with that dude. I definitely needed that surf. My afternoon was spent fixing dings. I wanted to surf again but the wind just didn’t cooperate which was all good cause I had already got mine today.
9-3-23 No Surfing: 3-5+ ft
Miles Driven: 32
Some days I get so far into my own head I ruin Surfing for myself. This usually is when we have a hyped swell on a weekend and everywhere is over crowded. Instead of being able to just go hunt out the best waves I’m also trying to figure out a way to get some fun waves and beat the crowd. It didn’t help that the wind was already up out of the WNW in Ventura trashing all the beach breaks plus there was a contest at C-street and all the LA waves were beyond packed. My wife and I had a look around all the way to Emma to no avail. Instead I decided to hedge my bets for an evening session. Rather than waste my day away frustrated about waves I attended a birthday party my wife’s family was throwing for one of her uncles in Old Town Goleta. Their back yard BBQ’s never disappoint. I was having so much fun I lost track of time and didn’t get out of there until after six. I also forgot that it gets dark a bit earlier than a month ago. By this point I was chasing the light and a surf-able wave. In hindsight I should have just made a dash for C-street, which would have been my best chance to get some waves before dark. Instead I checked Rincon. There was actually a waste high wave in the Cove and I had my fish on me. Once again in hindsight that was a very viable option, but I decided to roll the dice and look at Sea Cliffs. The wind and the low tide weren’t helping anything along that stretch of coast. I made a last ditch effort for New Jetty, which was surf-able, but with fifteen minutes or less of light left I threw in the towel. I hate not surfing on days where the waves are bad let alone a day with solid swell. Home I returned utterly defeated. Maybe tomorrow. The photo below is from New Jetty just before dark.
9-2-23 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Oxnard Shores
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 16
Miles Driven: 12
The great south swell had finally hit and the swell was solid. Pat was back in town after over a month long jaunt visiting his folks in North Carolina and was already on the prowl. He was rather disappointed by the intense crowds at Ventura Harbor. I didn’t check it but from what I gather there were 200 guys from the Knoll to the Mouth and Fruits had absolutely no parking anywhere near it. I opted for a look at Shores where there was solid over head waves coming in. It was a little close to beach but with the angle of the swell the waves were completely surf-able. The wind was off shore and crowd light. Pat and I were still dragging our feet till my wife chimed in and called us out. We paddled, but literally as soon as my feet touched the water the wind went south. The faces were still clean enough and I was already suited up. Once I suit I’m paddling no matter what the surf looks like. Right off the bat I scored a solid over head bomb good for two turns and a close out bash. I even lucked into two proper barrels. Pat was struggling a little bit but eventually found his rhythm. After about an hour the tide got too high and south wind chop too annoying. I got a few and considering the over crowding of having maybe the biggest south swell of the summer happen on holiday weekend, I was stoked for what I got. The rest of my day was spent working a wedding in Santa Barbara.
9-1-23 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 32
Miles Driven: 10
The week long run of early season wind swell was finally coming to an end. It was a pretty good run of waves and I got to surf close to home. There was some fresh south swell starting to fill in and I half thought about driving over to the Harbor. At the Strand there were still some very fun looking chest plus sets rolling in at the Ship with a somewhat light crowd. Why drive? I was feeling good out there today. The wind was light SSE and there were still a few mini-tubes to be chased down. Bizarro showed up and we shot some water. It wasn’t t anything to get overly excited about but I had fun. Looks like some solid south swell to fill in for the weekend. That’s all we need is a solid swell on a holiday weekend. I’m soooo stoked.