Surfing Ruined My Life

October 2015 Surf Sessions

10-31-15 No Surfing: 2-3+ ft
The Halloween party got a tad bit out of hand. I woke up late and decided given the size and my lack of motivation to roll over and go back to sleep.  I heard that The shores had some fun off shore crossed up peaks.

10-30-15 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Rincon
Time in water: 1.5 hrs
Waves surfed: 26
The tide was approaching a high and the wind already getting on it.  I saw a few fun ones up top with a rather light crowd and decided to paddle.  At first I was getting a lot of shitty weak ones around high River Mouth, lower Indicator. Not having much fun I noticed the smaller double ups were the way to go.  After that I started really picking off good ones.  I even managed a few barrels one sick bs tube over the rocks and some how snagged a left tube on a wide swinger at River Mouth.  For the rest of the session I was just super synced with the conditions.

10-29-15 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed:20
Nothing like high tide small windy shitty Rincon to get the blood flowing.  I really was hoping Emma wood to be fun but unfortunately it was all closed out and windy.  I saw a few at Rincon on the way down and decided to just go back there and desperation paddle it.  You know when you decided to paddle a spot that looks bad and you say to yourself I am sure its more fun then it looks.  Well this morning it was as bad as it looked.

10-28-15 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Emma Wood 
Time in Water: 1 hr 10 mins
Waves Surfed: 25
More high tide and south swell led to more Emma Wood.  With slight drop in swell it became a bit more mushy then the day before and twice as backwashy.  Virs was out hating it and Dane soon followed suit.  I had a short amount of time and wanted to get some exercise thus I had a froth.  I made the most of the bs out there and had a good time in the process.

10-27-15 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Emma Wood
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 23
I finally got my lazy pathetic ass down south to find a few waves.  There was plenty of south swell in the water with really nice clean conditions.  You what wasn’t very nice the fact that there was a seven foot high tide at 9:30 am this morning.  All the good south swell spots were flooded leaving no other option but Emma Wood.  Judging from the bowls coming in and the light crowd it was a good option.  I paddled and found a few fun ones and even a little frontside in and out tube.  After that I had a little catering work and thought about surfing again in the afternoon.  Ultimately I got lazy and just decided to kick it.

10-26-15 No Surfing: 3-5+ ft
I was highly unmotivated and I heard the tide was grotesquely high anyway making Emma one of the few bets.  I was recovering from yet another out of control weekend at the club.  My bed won out from the surf.

10-25-15 No Surfing: 2-3+ ft
The cam looked pretty similar to that of yesterday.  I had a bit of late night after the bar and opted to sleep in for a change.  From what I heard I didn’t really miss much anyway.

10-24-15 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 12
I hate surfing on the weekends its so fucking frustrating.  Everything is always crowded, traffic is bull shit and the weekend warriors always get on my nerves.  With a deep morning high tide and spotty south swell in the water the options were limited.  I ended up paddling River Mouth with Ryan just because the crowd was right and it appeared there were some corners.  There was not and it was pretty much close out city.  I would be hard pressed to have caught even one wave worth anything.  I suppose it was good exercise at the very least.

10-23-15 AM Session: 2-3 ft, Emma Wood
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 27
Last night was out of hand courtesy of Bizarro driving a one man train to full fledged Fancytown.  I stayed rather sober for myself.  All I can say is it is quite the scene.  I can only imagine the mess we both look together in Fancytown.  Anyhow I got up around nine and high tailed it to Emma Wood for lack of time.  I got there and although on the small side the south peak left was peeling perfectly almost as if it was a left point.  I got out there and immediately began to froth. For a solid hour I had a ball. Then the wind came up and the tide got too low and the whole place turned off.  By that time I had already got mine.

10-22-15 AM Session: 1-3+ ft, Emma Wood
Time in Water: 1 hr 10 mins
Waves Surfed: 26
Although all the reports from friends said its weak don’t bother the buoys told me other wise and in surfing we all know there is always that “what if” factor.  With that in mind I headed south with high hopes.  My first flash in the pan was Rincon. a terrible mistake cause it was like two foot.  Then I cruised to Ventura Harbor, which was bigger, though rather crowded and with poor at best shape.  I settled for Emma Wood cause I saw someone get a chest high bowl from the free.  When I got there it was small and clean with only two guys out.  The place had potential and fuck I was out of time anyway. As I was suiting up this dude pulls up, opens his trunk and takes out a cage full of Doves.  He proceeded to throw them into the air.  I didn’t wait around to find out, but I assume they came back to him.  Despite the meager pickings I managed a few decent tubes.  It was enough to stoke me out.

10-21-15 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 26
There was less swell in the water and the wind was off shore in both Oxnard and Ventura.  My boy Daniel was paddling New Jetty and Ryan and Gordo were going to give River Mouth a go.  After giving both those spots some considering I was unimpressed and judging from what I saw coming in on my drive south I had a feeling Strand may be fun.  Sure enough when I got there it was about chest to head and barreling.  The crowd was pretty heavy at the Ship, which was the best peak.  The bowl was more spread out and still had a decent enough tube to be surfed.   I paddled and immediately found some shackers.  Then the crowd moved toward me so I paddled over the ship and got a few till the crowd moved back there.  Then the tide and the wind killed it.  The water was colder and in my two mill it was hard to keep warm.

10-20-15 AM Session: 2-4+ ft. Rincon
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 21
I was determined to surf something this morning.  I heard the beachies were walled at best and the only spot that was good was the Strand, but I didn’t really want to deal with that crowd.  Rincon had a decent enough wave coming in up top with a very light crowd.  I paddled hoping it would get better with the tide push.  Unfortunately it was way weaker then I thought and the swell pulled out super fast leaving me wanting.  I did manage a few fun ones though nothing all that spectacular. It beat not surfing at all.

10-19-15 No Surfing: 3-5+ ft
I had a serious bout with IBS this morning and every time I thought I was all good and would try to leave for a surf it came back with a vengeance.  I wasn’t extremely motivated to surf anyhow and truthfully was feeling a bit down today.

10-18-15 No Surfing: 2-3+ ft
Once again the wind was on it early and my motivation to deal with all the hassle of weekend surfing.  I think it may cleaned up and been alright in town and some of the points in the evening. Fat lot of good that does me since I had to work till nine.

10-17-15 No Surfing: 2-3+ ft
Damn I was fucked up when I woke up.  Needless to say I barely made to work let alone make an attempt to go surfing.  I heard it was windy and average at best anyway.

10-16-15 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Emma Wood
Time in Water: 40 Mins
Waves surfed: 15
I didn’t really know what t expect from the morning.  The wind was light on the cam so I cruised for a surf.  About half way down to Ventura, at Pitas as usual the wind was  on it.  I did the loop around at Camp Grounds and drove back to Emma Wood.  Though very far from epic there were a few kill-able lefts on the south peak that I toyed with.  Work sucked.  I was short handed three guys and had a catering event for 300 people at roughly the same time as I had to put out dinner though stress and exhausting my entire crew while at the same time putting out a meager product at best.  Later that night Biz and I decided to go out early cause some band was playing.  Of course thanks to my hectic day we didn’t get to the Cat till ten right as the band was done.  At that point thanks to boredom we drank to a full fledged black out.  The next thing I remembered was being woken up by the cops in the bushes outside my apartment. Lucky for me they were chill and just walked me to my front door and told me to take care of myself.  Oh the crazy times of a thirty something party person.

10-15-15 AM Session: 4-6+ ft, New Jetty
Time in Water: 1 hr 
Waves Surfed: 14
Talk about macking! The wind was on it and all reports looked grim for a decent session.  When that is the case I just head over to Emma Wood and make the most of whatever garbage is coming in.  Emma was tiny and beat.  On a hail Mary I decided to check Ventura Harbor.  It looked a little racy, but for sure some pick and choose corners.  The crowd was right at New Jetty and I paddled. Turns out it way bigger, way heavier, way gnarlier and way more closed out then I initially thought.  With the clouds and dark green color of the water I had a hard time discerning what was good and what was death.  Then the clouds lifted and I got my rhythm back and began snagging some bombs.  At the very end of my surf this left came off the jetty that looked just about head high.  I paddled being the deepest and as I went to stand up the thing went top to bottom and doubled up.  I barely made the drop on my 5’10.  I landed the air drop with my foot back behind my tail pad.  Then I caught my fins in the flats completely ensconced by the pit. At that point I hit the gas and started pumping my ass off and some how made it out all the way down the beach by South Jetty.  It was insane and may have been the best wave I have ever caught out there in my life.

10-14-15 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Emma Wood
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 35
The goal was to get up for a dawn patrol at the Shores this morning When I tried to get up at six I was so sore from yesterday’s marathon surf I just couldn’t get out of bed.  Old age is a bitch.  Its funny yesterday I was surfing with a guy ten years my former and he was catching two waves to every one of mine and just killing it.  Ryan is about ten years my senior and I am that way for him.  We can’t beat father time.  I suppose I should start taking better care of myself so that can prolong my surfing life.  I was suppose to work at 11 am.  This would basically kill my chances of surfing for the day.  I called Trevor and asked if he really needed me.  As it turned out he was pretty good on work and allowed me the day off.  Stoked I cruised back to the Shore which I heard from Ryan was still pretty sick.   By the time I got there the wind was on it.  All the beaches were fucked with the wind and tide for that matter.  I headed to Emma Wood for a desperation paddle.  There were bowls and peaks every where and barrels.  I paddled and for the first forty minutes I got tons of sick little double up tubes.  Then the tide began to drop and the wind got worse causing conditions to steadily deteriorate.  I had already got mine anyway.  I decided to make lemonade out of lemons and do a little shopping where I scored a bunch of nice cuffed shirts and three jackets.  I would say today was a good day.

10-13-15 PM Session: 3-5+ ft, Oxnard Shores
Time in Water: 2.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 36
Ryan wanted to surf the low tide and since the wind was still light I was obliged to join him.  After a car surf to both Strand and Hollywood, Strand looked fun but crowded, Hollywood was just plain walled we decided to just go back to Shores.  It was basically just as bowly, though a tad more dumpy with impending low tide.  We paddled and it was barrel city out there.  You had to be choosy.  Pick a good one and get a sick pit, a bad one and risk getting fucked up on the barely knee deep sand bar.  I had a lot of tunnel vision and a few all time shacks.  If  had more stamina I would have surfed till dark.  Exhausted and it not being good enough to force the envelope I called it a day. My first day off in a while and it was well worth it.

10-13-15 AM Session:3-5+ ft, Oxnard Shores
Time in Water: 2.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 34
I really didn’t know what to expect from the surf today.  I was thinking about either Rincon or Emma Wood considering the tide and swell. I was suppose to have a Tinder meet and greet in Carp midday thus enhancing these options. As per usual with most Tinder situations she canceled.  With that occurrence I was wide open.  As I was driving south there was a small amount of south wind blowing up the coast causing texture and crumble on the already flooded points.  Emma Wood bound I noticed a lack of wind on C-Street and decided to check Ventura Harbor.  There were surprisingly a few more corners then I had expected.  I almost paddled New Jetty, though on further consideration realized it was still more walled and work then I was looking for.  On a Hail Mary I checked the Shores and to my delight there were solid over head peaky bowls up and down the beach.  There was a small amount of south wind texture on it, but nothing to deter.  I had a kill-able A-Frame all to myself.  The entire session it was just me and two other guys in the water and like I said we each had our own peak.

10-12-15 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 1 hr 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 25
I have been have a schizophrenic surfing week full of serous ups and downs and every type of wave one can imagine.  After yesterday I was far from motivated for a surf this morning.  That was until I had a look at both the C Street cam and the buoys.  There was solid WNW, some WSW and another NW.  I was undecided on where to surf and most likely would have been doomed to drive around to no avail ultimately settling for some shit. As I was about to leave I got a text message from this college kid that has been attempting to meet up with me to buy a board.  Turns out he was on his way to City College and wanted to stop in and get the board.  The deal took a little bit longer then I had intended and the bulk of my time was shot into the gutter.  When in a time constriction and I know Rincon has a wave I paddle.  The tide was high so I paddled up in my usual River Mouth section and its sub sections since the swell was a bit more broken up.  The first 45 minutes I just couldn’t get in a rhythm.  Killian paddled at the height of my frustration and then that was when the surf turned into a super session for me.  I began getting good one after good on.  I was surfing well too.  I can’t remember the last time I felt that in command of my technical game.  Maybe I can’t get this love thing right cause I am already committed to both surfing and Rincon?  Go figure.  Let’s face when you lock into a great wave and everything goes your way it is in my opinion the greatest feeling of satisfaction there is in this world.

10-11-15 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Emma Wood
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 21
What a let down this morning was.  I was hoping the the wsw that filled in last night would still have hung around.  It had mostly dropped out and the wind was on the beachies.  I cruised to Emma which was marginal at best.  I saw some guy get shacked off his ass on an inside double up and paddled.  Unfortunately it was a bit too dumpy and closed out.  I did manage a barrel or two.  I did my most damage on the reef right hander that sometimes shows itself on just the right south swell and tide.  Definitely was below average.

10-10-15 AM Session: 4-6+ ft, Oxnard Shores
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 17
KEGGERS!!!! What a day of surfing.  I can’t remember the last time I got so many stupid barrels.  The wind was light offshore/side shore keeping things clean.  The waves were overhead to double overhead on the sets and there was just a little bit of back wash allowing the tube to be even more hallow.  Getting into the pocket was tough and one had to really throw oneself over the ledge.  I was in the zone and just kept getting shacked. My best one I got double barrel.  It was a super surf to say the least.  So stoked.  

10-9-15 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Emma Wood
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 16
I met Ryan down at Ventura Harbor, but the south swell was a bit too broken up and all over the place for the Jetty to be fun and there was a tad too much wind for River Mouth.  I saw a what looked like a few sick ones while passing Emma Wood from the 101 and cruised back there.  I must have missed the window cause everyone was leaving when I got there and I found myself hard pressed to get a single wave worth anything.  It beat not surfing and surfing will heal all along with time so I’m back on a program.

10-8-15 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, New Jetty
Time in water: 1 hr 20 mins
Waves Surfed: 20
Finally I got my lazy ass out of bed for a change and drove south in search of some surf.  There was some solid south swell in the water and Ventura Harbor was the call. Laziness and mistrust in the wind kept me from running down to River Mouth, which was a mistake cause once I paddled out at New Jetty I got a glimpse of the tubes I could have been scoring down the beach.  I sat off the Jetty where I found a fun double up left, while the rest of the pack focused on the middle.  There was stiff current to keep everyone working.  I had a few tubes and a couple of boosts.  Nothing spectacular, but sure enough the best surf I have had in a while.

10-7-15 PM Session; 1-2 ft, Stair Case
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 19
Once again the waves were shit this afternoon and I was forced to endure a relentless car surf settling for less then average waves.  As desperation paddle was all I could write it off as and I almost drove away.  I found a few nuggets and I needed to get wet and clear my head after all the shit that has been going on lately.  I hope to squeeze in a session tomorrow morning and get to surf some glass for a change.

10-6-15 No Surfing: 2-3 ft
It was off shore in the morning and conditions looked fun. Unfortunately I woke up a later then I needed to in order to get a surf in.  Surfline was calling for light winds all day thus I decided to go into work early and focus on getting some of the rising south swell in the afternoon.  Then the wind came up.  The cam at Jalama looked like it might have been semi clean so I stupidly made the drive north where the waves were not clean at all and howling NW wind What a bust.  Over it  just turned around a cruised home.  The apartment needed a good cleaning and that was what I did.

10-5-15 No Surfing: 2-3+ ft
I woke up sick as a dog.  All the booze I consumed at the Wild Cat Prom didn’t help my condition.  I was a day of loafing about in agony.  Turns out Strand was pretty decent from what I gather.

10-4-15 No Surfing: 2-4+ ft
Morning winds were hard out of the south and it was raining.  Hungover and over it I stayed in bed.  Oh yeah and at around 4 am I found myself down on the beach playing my saxophone.  Good times.

10-3-15 No surfing: 2-3+ ft
What can I say its my first weekend as a bachelor and as a result I delved into the party rather hard.  The surf looked like shit on the camera anyway.  My body has to adjust to this new lifestyle.

10-2-15 No Surfing: 2-3 ft
Ryan hit me up early enough to let me know that it was pathetic out there and not worth my gas.  That was fine cause  I was hurting pretty bad after a hefty night out that involved a pregame with grappa.  I blacked out at some point in the night not that that is any surprise.  Good times.

10-1-15 AM Session: 1-2 ft, Emma Wood
Time in Water: 40 mins
Waves Surfed: 18
Damn it was terrible out there. I was hoping there would still be some wind swell left overs from the night before.  There wasn’t.  I stood around in the parking lot a while kicking dirt and rocks debating what to do.  I almost bailed on it all together.  Then I thought about it and figured if I drove I might as well surf.  I paddled it was horrible, but it beat not surfing.