Surfing Ruined My Life

November 2013 Surf Session

11-30-13 PM Session: 2-3+ ft, Jalama
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 35
There is nothing I love more then getting all the way to a spot as out of the way as Jalama for the wind to turn onshore as soon as I put my suit on.  I threw a brief tantrum then suited up and paddled.  It was too low, and too windy.  I noticed that the right at Tarantulas was breaking and taking the wind better.  West and I paddled up there and sure enough although a little tricky it was far better then the un-ride-able trash at Cracks.  West found the reef a bit hard for his skill level.  I managed to figure it out and started getting a few fun ones.  It definitely salvaged the session for us.  The sunset was amazing and Jalama no matter what is always a special place for me.  As we were getting out the waves glassed off so we decided to give the beach break one more shot.  I really wanted to get barreled.  it was worse then I had thought, but I did find my barrel on my last one.  The cold dark walk back and dark drive on that sketchy road was a pain in the ass.

11-29-13 PM Session: 2-4+ ft, Sands
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 32
I love surfing my age in waves.  After a burrito and a failed El Cap mission Pat, West and I decided to run back to Sands for a sunset make it or break it situation.  The wind was still offshore and slowly glassing off.  With the dropping swell and rising tide there were plenty of closed out corners and some barrels.  I managed to make two deep backside barrels and had one really fun left.  Then some kook ass chick ran me over and I broke my leash.  Thus my session was over.  Still it was a nice sunset and tons of fun.  West got a few too.

11-29-13 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Devereux
Time in Water: 2.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 27
This morning was all about cracking the code on where I could find the best, least crowded waves.  Pat was my eyes down south and things were looking still too big for the beaches and the points were crowded.  South winds were predicted again for the mid-day making time very important.  I checked some of my town and Montecito spots, but exposure and crowds were problematic.  Pat met up with West and I in Summerland and the call was to run back up the IV and give Campus, Devereux or even Sands again.  Campus looked fat, inconsistent and when a set did come the sand seemed set up a bit wrong.  We cruised to Devereux and things looked a lot better.  At that point we just paddled it.  Turns out there were some solid sets.  I had some good ones by Devereuz standards, but it’s still a wave I find rather annoying to surf and very forgettable. On one of the busiest weekends of the year the crowd was very manageable and for me that was of the utmost importance.  I pretty much got any waves I wanted.  Pat found himself in a confrontation or two.  Besides that I think we all had fun.

11-28-13 PM Session: 3-5+ ft, Sands
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 27
As per usual Murphy’s Law set in this morning.  Bizarro and I went out last night to the Cat.  I had not been there in almost three weeks and on top of that have not really drank as well.   It was a fun night that found us wandering around the West Side in search of an after party we never found.  End result I got home rather late and rather drunk.  Come morning I was in no condition so surf.  Judging by the wind, tide and crowd neither were the waves.  Trevor said Emma had size, Pat said he was paddling Hollywood and that “The small ones didn’t seem to close out”.  I have been in that situation before and hate playing dodge ball with ten foot sets only to chase down the inbetweeners and not get caught inside.  Here in SB the wind was shit so I was resolved on sleeping off my hangover and shopping for a turkey for the night with Bizarro.  West showed up at 3 pm and given the SE wind I decided our best bet for the most size and decent conditions was Sands. It was clean although mostly walled.   There were some corners and it was pretty solid over head.  Crowd was spread out and light since most of the stu’s were back home with their families for the holiday.  I decided to just go nuts and huck myself over the ledge on anything that came my way leading to plenty of views and beatings.  I did managed to bring down a huge air reverse.  Then on my last wave almost in the dark I stroked into a solid over head bomb that I thought was going to be a mellow one.  When it hit the inside sand bar it doubled up and threw completely out.  I pulled in and was deep as shit.  I couldn’t see out of it at one point. then next thing you know I got spit out down the Beach.  West was screaming and so was I.  Wave of the session for sure.  I can’t remember the last time I got tubed that proper.  Then it was home for a Thanksgiving feast featuring braised turkey, Cranberry sauce, roasted vegetables, crescent rolls, mashed potatoes and pear cobbler for dessert.  It was a three man feast fit for a king.  Whoot!  Sorry, no picture on this session cause Sands is super far away from the parking area and there was not time to check it.

11-27-13 No Surfing: 1-2
Today I was on buoy watch all day.   I knew the WNW was to fill in by the evening and was hoping to maybe get an evening or afternoon session.  There was prob a wave at Ventura Harbor at dusk, but traffic on the 101 was shit and so was the wind thus I bagged it.  At the moment the swell is cocking in at around 285 which is a perfect window for Santa Barbara and all of my favorite spots.  Unfortunately the winds may be very problematic, ESE.  

11-26-13 No Surfing: 1-2 ft
The buoy had some mid period very tiny West on it.  I didn’t see dick out my window and at 280 Leads should have had something if it was worth a ride to Ventura.  It was chill since there was still and is still plenty of shit to do around the Lisanti Palace.  I almost cruised to SF last night to surf with Mauriello at OB today since it was going to be and is pretty sick up there the next few days.  Then we were suppose to come down the coast Thursday raping and pillaging whatever good waves we found down the PCH.  John could not find a good method of transportation home on Sunday.  Looks like it is just going to be West and I this holiday.  His fucking loss.  Nah, he will be scoring too.  I think it would have been nice to have the whole gang together for the holiday, sans Kooky.  Oh well.

11-25-13 No Surfing: 1-2 ft
I guess there was a slight up in the swell on the buoys, but then again it looked pretty flat on the cam to me.  Looks like some swell to fill in by Thursday.  Today was my last day of work till Sunday.  Oh Yeah!!! and Thursday is a paid Holiday.  Got to love bull shit.

11-24-13 No Surfing: Flat
Yep, the surf actually went flat.  Even places that normally would have waves were small.  I don’t know why California is getting the short end of the stick this year but it’s starting to get ridiculous.

11-23-13 No Surfing: 1-2 ft
More shit ass conditions courtesy of the Pacific Ocean.  I spent the morning in bed cause it seemed like the best place to be.  For whatever reason I had one of those I just don’t give a shit days at work.  I mean I still made some pretty good food I just wasn’t all that into it.  At my job its not really a big deal, but then I think about people who have important jobs.  Say you heart surgeon decided he was not really into it while you are on the table.  It’s a pretty scary thought, yet I am sure it happens too many times then one would like.  That is the problem with our current system of things everyone works too much and thus have days where they are over it. At some point if I ever start writing blogs again I will write about my proposed solution to all of this.

11-22-13 No Surfing: 1-2 ft
“Chris would you like a brownie”.  That was Bizarro’s last words to me before I left his apartment. Not thinking anything into it I grabbed one and popped it into my mouth.  About an hour later while straightening out my closet I began getting really dizzy.  I thought maybe I had some bad Chinese food.  By the way the Szechuan Restaurant on the Mesa totally has a secret awesome menu just for Chinese people.  JP and I were the only white guys in there and everyone around us was eating these cool family style soup pots.  When we asked about it our waitress said “oh you cant have that its only for special customers”.  Then I thought maybe the paint was causing me to bug out. Finally I put two and two together and realized idiot fed me a pot brownie.  The rest of my night was spent bugging out since I do terrible with edibles.  Fuck you Bizarro.  Trevor hit me up around 9:30 and claimed a chest high although closed out wave a New Jetty.  It was way to late for me to get there before work.  About an hour later I got a text that the wind was too hard offshore for it.  I guess I am glad I saved the gas.

11-21-13 No Surfing: 1-2 ft
And the California surf season of 2013 continues.  I know 13 is an unlucky number but this is ridiculous.  Worst year of surfing I can remember in this state ever.  Its cool cause I had a ton of shit to do and barely made a dent. FML.

11-20-13 No Surfing: 1-2 ft
More minimal surf and today was my girl’s actual moving day kept me out of the water.  I can’t believe we are still having flat spells this far into the season. What the fuck is going on?  I though this was California not New Jersey.  I came here to beat the flatness.  Oh the paradox.

11-19-13 No Surfing: 1-2 ft
Yeah I could have groveled something but there was just too much to do today.  Of course instead I spent the better part of the morning in bed with my lady.  Then the rest of it on the internet fucking around.  So much for an early start.  After a second coat I feel a little better about the Metallic turquoise I was bitching about yesterday.  Its still not my first preference in color or a color I would ever elect to paint on of the wall of my apartment, but I think I can live with it.  Tomorrow is the big day, my lady will be officially moved in.  Oh my and it starts.  I don’t really even know what to say, feel or think about it except that time will tell my friends.  Truthfully I am really stoked about the whole ordeal.  I love her truly with all my heart and am happy to start sharing my life with her.

11-18-13 No Surfing: 1-3 ft
I am sure I could have found a wave this morning but I wanted to get a jump on painting.  I am currently behind as fuck on my own schedule and not too stoked about it.  Then again I kind of wished I had not began painting in the first place.  As of press time I am in a pink bedroom, and not a soft pink or something of the like.  I am talking like baby nursery pink.  Basically it is like I wake up inside a big square vagina every fucking morning.   My kitchen against my better judgement as well, has been painted a METALLIC TURQUOISE or a host of other varying colors of that scheme depending on how the light hits it.  I feel like I am in a fucking submarine.  When I stand in my kitchen it’s as if I was underwater.  I might as well have nailed sheet metal to my walls.  But I AM THE ONE WHO “DOES’NT SEE COLOR”.  I used to fuck one of the top interior designers in Moscow.  I think just by penis osmosis I have a feel for what works and what does not and this does not work!  As you can see I am losing my mind.  At the moment the word MISTAKE comes to mind.  Oh yeah and I paid for it all too!  ARrrrrrHHH.  Damned if you do damned if you don’t.  Maybe I will move into Bizarro’s I hear his couch goes for 350 a month.  

11-17-13 AM Session: 2-3 ft, Emma Wood
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 27
Thanks to my cat being a bitch with the introduction of my girl’s cat last night I had to sleep on the couch so that he would stop whining.  I woke up pretty sore and far from motivated for a paddle.  I was going to back when I checked the near forecast and things were looking pretty flat over the next few days.  This is fine since I have so much bullshit to do with this move anyway.  I hit up Ryan and Trevor and the consensus was Emma with the fat tide.  I got there first and I saw a few bowls but overall it was crowded and pretty weak looking.  I told Ryan not to rush so he decided to go to the strand which he said was crowded but fun.  Trevor and I paddled Emma cause the Strand was not really an option for us today.  I had a few fun ones and surfed decent enough.  Overall it was pretty weak.

11-16-13 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 9
I saw waves at Santa Claus, enough to allow me to believe that Rincon would have a wave.  Given the fact that it was high tide it would be my best bet to escape a crowd.  Sure enough there were some solid lines coming in up top.  It was a little bit fat, but I saw some dude get barreled.  The crowd was very light too.  I paddled and although inconsistent I found a few runners.  I have still yet to see a real day at Rincon and yet to surf a Cove session.  Still so so Rincon is still better then most places.  I got three that I had at least ten turns on.

11-15-13 No Surfing: 2-3 ft
God I was fucking exhausted after painting till 2am, working all day before that and surfing all morning.  I woke up at around 8 am and thought “just 5 more minutes. I woke up again and it was past nine.  There was west in the water and I thought maybe I would run to the Lane and grab a few high tide rollers before work, but then I laid back down next to my girl and was not to wake up again till 11 and had to work at 11:30.  Later I heard Emma was fun but crowded and the current a bitch and the wind too south for most of the points.  I needed a rest.  Maybe tomorrow.

11-14-13 AM Session: 2-4+ft, Emma Wood
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 14
Being tired from painting I was a bit lack luster in the water today.  Seeing waves at Santa Clause I decided to check Rincon which was surf-able and probably  where I should have surfed.  Instead I went to Emma.  That was alright although a little weaker then I would have liked.  I did manage a deep bs tube that I slipped right into off the drop and rode the foam ball of.  I thought I was going to come out too, but then the wave bent in on me and I could not thread the needle and got pushed through the back.  Still was sicky though.

11-13-13 No Surfing: 1-2 ft
Reports looked small again and all my men in the field had nothing positive to say.  Trevor hit me up around ten claiming small but fun looking Emma.  I had painting to do around the apartment for the arrival of my girl.  With that in mind I decided to bag it.

11-12-13 No Surfing: 1-3 ft
As much as I like to go grovel bad New Jetty with an obnoxious crowd that was not there four years ago  I opted to stay in Santa Barbara today where I had much to do and got even less done.  I made a dent but really needed to get so much more done.   If I am going to get things straight by the 20th I am going to have to really get my ass in gear.  The buoys looked like shit and so did the cams.  Rumor has it a swell for the weekend?  I hate weekend swells.  Surfing is gay and so is California.

11-11-13 AM Session: 2-3 ft, New Jetty
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 16
I was in the mood for a surf this morning. Surfline was calling for a small rise in NW.  I got the Harbor and it was packed and shitty.  With the low tide there was pretty much no option but New Jetty.  I sucked it up and paddled. The crowd was focused on the Jetty so I decided to play middle peak.  Although somewhat closed out I found a few boost-able corners.  Stuck a money alley-oop on my last wave.

11-10-13 No Surfing: 1-2 ft
More shit surf and a bit of a hang over from a night that bordered on Fancy Town with Bizarro at the Wild Cat kept me in bed this morning.  Looks like some waves for tomorrow.

11-9-13 No Surfing: 1-2 ft
Micro conditions kept me out of the water this morning. Plus I had to handle some business over at Home Depot before work.  Good times.  

11-8-13 AM Session: 1-2 + ft, Emma Wood
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 24
New Jetty had a better wave but was packed again. Over it I went back to Emma for a grovel.  There was one guy out and it was clean.  Despite the micro waves it looked kill-able.  I get down there and the one guy out is Dan Reynolds.  I always find it rather crazy to be sitting next to arguably the best surfer in the work at ankle high Emma Wood.  Its cool to see he can still appreciate a good grovel from time to time. Trevor came and paddled and although small I still managed a few fun ones.

11-7-13 No Surfing: 2-3 ft
I was rather unmotivated to surf and my girl needed me to help with some work for the day.  Thus I did not get wet.  From what I heard Emma was small, New Jetty Crowded and Strand fun.

11-6-13 AM Session: 2-3 ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 1 hr 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 17
Yeah I was lazy this morning, a little on my own account being very stoked still from yesterday’s Strand Session and still very swore from the return of kitchen basketball. Also I decided after hearing mediocre feed back on the surf to spend the morning with my girl.  It was my Sunday after all and what better way to spend Sunday then lounging around in bed with the woman you love.  Ryan hit me up around noon saying it was still offshore in Oxnard. I figured I would cruise that way and see what was going down.  Worse case scenario just surf Emma Wood.  As I was driving I did the look back of death and saw solid lines filtering into Rincon.  The buoy had indicated a minor west swell, but far then big enough to get ‘Con going.  None the less if I have even the slightest hint that Rincon will be fun you know I am going to flip a bitch.  On the drive back I saw a few more.  I walked down and it was about chest on set but very inconsistent.  I was still thinking of bailing south when the wind began to pick up out of the NW.  Yesterday that wind trashed it.  A bird in the hand is better then two in the bush.  I paddled.  The Cove looked short board-able but it was totally logged out.  I was not about to battle those guys when it was as small as it was.  I went up top and found a few really decent ones around River Mouth.  I love Rincon even on a shitty day that was inconsistent as hell I got some really good ones.  As I was paddling out toward the end of my session this chick who had been out since I got there asked me “So you have caught a ton of good waves, think I can snake you on one.  I really need to go home and want a fun one”.  I really did not know how to respond.  She was pretty enough and we all know I am a sucker for a pretty blonde girl.  I took her up to high River Mouth and let her burn me on one.  Karma went my way cause the next wave after hers was my best one of the day.

11-5-13 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 31
Talk about a Jersey style session with offshore conditions.  I heard Strand has been breaking on the high tide.  Mike and I made the gamble and left a fun looking Emma for Strand.  When we got there it was solid chest high plus with fun peaks up and down the beach and a light crowd.  I got out there and fucking frothed.  Mike had not much experience in such conditions and was struggling a little bit.  By the end of the session he was all over it.  I had some really good barrels.  I wish it was just a tad bigger and hollower, but I must say it was more then worth the drive.  I was hoping to get a second session in when the damn wind went NW ruining it.  I checked Rincon on the way home and that was ride-able but small.  If I had not surfed I probably would have paddled, but after the Strand session I was not about to ruin my buzz.  I went sea glass hunting instead and scored some solid finds.

11-4-13 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Emma Wood
Time in Water: 1 hr 45 mins
Waves surfed: 44
I owe this session impart to one of my readers, Mike.  He hit me up awhile back saying he was from LA and wanted to get a session with me from time to time.  As usual I am more then happy to comply as long as I know you won’t drown or embarrass me.  Shit I am perfectly capable of doing the latter all by myself.  I met him up and Emma and it looked a little slow but with some real boost-able sections.  I don’t know if the new positive energy of being back with my girl motivated me but I went nuts out there and put on a fucking air show.  As the tide dropped it started to get more fun and more crowded.  I must say it was the most fun I had surfing in a long time.

11-3-13 No Surfing: 2-3 ft
I checked the buoys and had a feeling Emma might be fun.  Then Ryan called and confirmed it.  By then it was too late for me to get a surf in and I was enjoying a nice cup of tea with my lady.

11-2-13 No Surfing: 2-3 ft
Heard things were pretty small at Emma Wood and Silver Strand was the call.  I decided to devote the weekend to getting reacquainted with my baby and no surfing or party.

11-1-13 No Surfing: 2-3 ft
Holy shit did I black out hard last night.  I know it was Halloween but talk about ridiculous.  Last thing I remember was waiting on line out front with Tim-o, Amelia, Clot, Alex and Bizarro.  Bizarro and I went as Zoolander and Hansel and from what I gather people dug it.  We must have had an after party too cause my place was trashed when I woke up.  What a shitty day at work.  Let me take this opportunity to officially announce my retirement from the SB Party scene.  I will only come out for holidays, birthdays and special events.  Oh and my girl and I got back together.  Look for more on that in tomorrow’s blog post.