Little dash down the point

With a storm looming off the coast, I waited till mid morning to venture out and was glad to find the cold temps kept the crowd at bay, even for Christmas Vacation. It was a little lumpy and bumpy, but I still managed to pick off a few fun ones that Lower Trestles manged to shape up into a respectable little dash down the point.

Duck and cover tubes.

The traditional Christmas swell missed by a day, but it was worth waiting for. The head high waves at Lowers met a strong but chilly offshore wind to make a wave most just dream about. There were tubes and turns aplenty! The the crowds even left me alone so I could just go off wave after wave. I might be suckin' down aspirin today ( maybe tomorrow), but for one of the best sessions in recent memory, I really don't care, as I will think only of the 100 yard racetracks filled with duck and cover tubes.

I am definitely warming up

Frickkin' 30 degree mornings sorta put the sunrise surf out of the comfort zone, so I opted for a later go out and was greeted with only one guy out and lots of waves. It was fun and games until 25 people showed up within 5 minutes, turning Lowers Point into a cross with the 405 freeway and a game of dodge ball. Still, early on I got a few little tubes and felt less like a kook like last time. After a big couple of waves and a final 10 yard floater, I can say I am definitely warming up.

I got a few

Holy Crap! There were waves today. Too bad I was out of shape from sitting around waiting for the ocean to get it up again for what feels like weeks, (if not all year). Still, 5 guys out at Lowers in offshore sunny conditions is a thing of beauty. With 3 swells to choose from, it was like a buffet of 3 foot barrels. Sadly, more of them got me than I got them. But I got a few.

The wave of the day

Me, myself and flat paddled out today in beyond perfect conditions in the rather optimistic hope that Lower Trestles could work its magic. Thankfully, old Lowers pulled out a few just for me, which I sorely needed after weeks battling travel and the flu blues. I got some fun ones in between long lulls, where I really enjoyed floating around watching the birds fish and a few paddle boarders work their way up and down the coast looking for waves. Eventually, the tide pushed up some real waves and, lo and behold, I did a in and out tube and some nice little flirts with some other tubes that opened up for me and sent me down the point with classic style. All things considered, it was just what I needed, and I also got, for my troubles, the wave of the day!

Seriously wicked wave

Holy Crap! It was perfect today, just perfect. Overhead big swells pushing into a stiff hot offshore wind. The only drawback was the crowd because everyone KNOWS it is perfect today thanks to all the Surf Reporters and Surfline. The other thing was the winds brought some awful dust and grunge to all the surfaces and even the air. Still, I got a few waves today that were flawless from start to finish at Dogpatch. Overhead and just slightly slower than closeout, they were just rocket launchers when you could fight your way down the face with the strong offshore winds. Once you did, though, you got a seriously wicked wave!

Monster waves today

Lower Trestles is usually a cupcake of a wave to surf. Not today, though. It had teeth and claws and was just plain mean. Two deep water swells were crossing it up making really hard to paddle and just get out into the lineup. Also, all kinds of juice was kicking in and tossing lips, peaks and lots of surfers all over the place. I got my cookies crunched, but not before I made some spectacular waves, literally flying over the surface of the water at break neck speed. I did better than most, as boards and weekend warriors tumbled over the falls and got chewed up in almost every imaginable way around me in the surf. It was very entertaining to watch at least. Then, the Santa Ana winds kicked up, and made the waves have 30 foot plumes of spray and picture perfect. I just got out and enjoyed the 85 degree heat on the beach as I watched. As the 25 mph offshore hot winds made it almost unridable, but terribly fun to watch, It was an early trick or treat as everyone took turns and got chewed up by the monster waves today.

I am first in line

It does pay to live a few minutes from the beach in San Clemente. I waited and watched until the NW groundswell started to rise and the people left the morning surf bout at Lowers. The result was the rare mid day session when I get Lowers to myself for an hour and the new swell rears its head just for me. I got a smattering of wind swell waves but the NW ground swell pushed in some real waves to get tubed inside and really slash the 100 yard long walls. I even got a double tube! I like it when the conditions and swell finally get perfect and I am first in line.

Fun sized

When all else fails, head to Lowers. In small surf, that seems to be the best advice I give myself, and it worked today. Lowers somehow managed to squeeze out 3-4 foot glassy waves that kept me busy all sunny morning. Gutless but plentiful, I kept busy picking off one cherry wave after another. Seems an Angel was on my side sending me the best waves of the day, and even if they weren't perfect, they were fun sized!

The good stuff!

It was pretty good today, much better than me, that is for sure. I need to get out more! I rolled down to Lower Trestles and it was going off everywhere. I just paddled out straight out in front of the fire ring where I always park my bike on and got a lot a head high waves all to myself. It was nonstop fun, so I tired early, racing down the point doing insane little maneuvers I had no business even trying, but pulled them all off, mostly. Only when I tired did I start kooking out, but after a tube, a dozen slash-fests and lots of 100 yard runs down the point with the long paddle back, I tend just to remember the good stuff!

It w a s G O O D !

I can't even remember the last time the Surfline actually said "good" on the surf report, but they spoke the truth today. A Big Shouldered West swell, rolling into and meeting the morning offshore conditions, made the surf act like a skateboard park this morning. Carving it up like a big Thanksgiving Turkey, I sliced and diced up Dogpatch with long drawn out power turns the extra juice from the deep water swell provided. I climbed into a few, flew up and over a few more, and really smacked a few with full tilt 180 S turns, so as I headed off home as the backwash from the high tide finally got it, I had to agree...I t w a s G O O D !

The last resort

With the kids back in school and the crowds from the summer and contests finally down, I rolled down to Lower trestles on my bike rig to be pleasantly surprised with some nice waist high peelers in rather sunny Indian Summer Conditions. Small, but well shaped, the extra effort was worth it as Lowers once again was the only place breaking. In terms of getting any waves today, it came through, even though it was the last resort.

It was time to head for home

Pre-dawn was the call today as the full Moon raised the tide very quickly this morning. It was warm due to the unseasonably bathwater temperature and in spite of the cool offshore wind. I got several kinda fun waves before the south wind, tides and crowds pushed me home. Wave of the day, which was the last wave, carried me all the way to beach, letting me off at the shore to step off on the sand in stride, up the beach berm and tell me it was time to head for home.

Made my day

Really nice conditions today as offshore winds combed the waves back into veils of gold as the sun broke over the cliffs at sunrise. Too bad my leash broke also, and I got to do a lot a extra swimming today. Just as well, as it was all good exercise. I even body surfed a wave in! Can't remember the last time I did that. A lotta bad swell direction made the waves pretty closed out, but once again a left appeared out a nowhere and made my day.

One hit wonders

Under perfect Indian Summer Conditions I found Dogpatch empty for a little while today, so, I got out at sunrise and gave it my best. The surf was decent sized but it was a really a lousy direction for the whole area except for Lowers, and you can imagine how many die hard surf Nazis were out today. As a rule, most of the waves today were just a turn or two and a big off the lip re-entry, but after a lousy summer it was good enough for me. I did manage to get an overhead left for my last wave that was really hot and did the best squared off bottom turn into the lip in recent memory. I will keep that one in mind today and forget all the other waves that were one hit wonders.

Sloppy

It started to look like Fall today but grew sloppy quickly. Maybe tomorrow it won't be so sloppy.

Hula Bula Lucky Day

Zippity Do Dah Day! The kids are back in school, the water is still warmed up nicely. Surf and sunny offshore conditions produced some really Cowabunga surf at the Dogpatch this morning. Some of the waves lined up and really let me have a go on them. Slicing and dicing my way down the point, I had more than my fair share today as the old men paddled off the spot. It was a Hula Bula Lucky Day!

Bring it on

The Summer Circus left town after a final weekend of soaring temperatures and meager surf that produced the worst crowds I have ever seen. Predictably, the day after found me at my favorite spot at Dogpatch by myself picking off all the head high curvy little waves I could catch. I am glad summer is over, day care is almost in session, and if this is any glimpse into what fall has in store for me, then I say bring it on!

Ain't dead yet set

Old Man's is a funny place. The talk in the water drifts from medical tests, MRI's and even 1 guy was bragging about wearing a heart monitor while surfing. The old guys ride battleships and rarely even turn them, so for the last couple days, I resigned myself to sitting inside and getting their better shaped reforming waves breaking on the inside while trying to avoid the armada of battleships that coast on swells not even breaking by the ain't dead yet set.

Really cool

The water dropped 10 degrees since last time but some waves popped up overnight, fighting the choppy little wind swell, as the bigger deep water swells from a long way off rolled through irregularly. Some good waves at little old man's for a bit until the waves slowed from the tide, signaling all the kooks that it was safe to paddle out, so they did. Shivery though it was in only a spring suit, I still ripped the tops off a few head high waves which made the cold water just seem really cool.

A very welcome change

As scary as it was to watch 50 kids paddling out towards you in red shirts from the local Sea Surf School, it really turned out OK, as I just paddled down in front of Old Mans and got some rip roaring waves for a change. With a new swell just showing and the the conditions and tides just perfect, I hung around on the inside and seriously whacked a few nice waves today for a very welcome change.

Just grin and bear it

Everybody was out today at Sano in perfect conditions and warm fuzzy surf. It was so nice except for for the fact I had to just paddle in and around the smiling idiots just to catch a few waves . Sometimes you have to just grin and bear it.

Midsummer's sunshine daydream

Under perfect conditions a tiny little south swell produced 10 waves every 10 minutes, leaving me to bake in the sunny seemingly flat lulls waiting for waves that traveled all the way from Chile to grace our shores. Not much, but compared to what it has been lately, it seemed like a mid-summer's sunshine daydream.

It all is just a tease

I got wet today and still know how to paddle around, but this summer will go down in infamy as the worst ever for surf. Just as well, as annoyingly Titanic projects require most my time anyway. Nice warm water, perfect conditions, but it all is just a tease.

Miracle of Miracles!

New Swells and good conditions finally arrived on the same day. Miracle of Miracles!

Barely good enough

Dogpatch was just barely breaking today, so I spent a few waves worth of desperation time trying to get ready for when the waves get good instead of barely good enough.

Dying on the vine

After a couple a good days of waves. it was asking too much for 3 in a row. Still, under perfect conditions. I found a few stragglers on the lower point of Old Man's. Not much, but at least I plucked a few as they were dying on the vine.

In Full Swing

Hot glassy Dogpatch filled with every imaginable kind of surfdog and some you couldn't imagine in your wildest dreams. Ahhhh, summer is in full swing!

A few more smiles

After a miserably long wait all month I finally got both sun and waves today. As luck would have it, it was the day after they poured slurry on the street tops out front. Waiting as long as I could, (well, until I spotted someone else driving in the pristine blacktop) I raced down to Old Man's and paddled out in the little inside peak on the left. It was marshmallow soft, which could describe my conditioning at the moment, so we were a good match. I got more than a few head high waves that put a smile on my face, something I have been sorely lacking. I could tell, because my smiling muscles and paddling muscles were also out of shape. I do hope that this trend continues because I can use a few more waves and a few more smiles.

A few more smiles

After a miserable long wait I finally got both sun and waves today. As luck would have it, it was the day after they poured slurry on the street tops out front. Waiting as long as I could, (well, until I spotted someone else driving in the pristine blacktop) I raced down to Old Man's and paddled out in the little inside peak on the left. It was marshmallow soft, which could describe my conditioning at the moment, so we were a good match. I got more than a few head high waves that put a smile on my face, something I have been sorely lacking, I could tell, because my smiling muscles and paddling muscles were also out of shape. I do hope that this trend continues because I can use a few more waves and a few more smiles.

My smile won't fade today

After waiting out the morning fog and sloppy, sloppy south wind bump, I arrived at Dogpatch with just a hope the conditions would turn around as I paddled out. As luck would have it, the wind died and the surf pushed into my little inside reef I like with lots of fun waves today. The crowds drifted away leaving me for the most part with the peak to myself. The sun came out, the sky turned blue, my forehead sunburned red, and I ripped a few head high peaks with abandon all the way to the inside and smacked a few good off the lips re-entries for a big finish. Two days of surf in a row, and even if my body complains, my smile won't fade today.

Summer Rules!

Finally, the first real swell of summer arrived today, so I high tailed it down to my favorite summer spot, Trail number 2, and found a lot of head high uncrowded waves in bath watery warm glassy blue seas. Aside from the fact I was rather kooky from lack of surf, I snagged a few big bombs that reminded me what a real wave is all about. Just a light foggy mist kept the winds down and the surface slick and mirror-like all morning. Ah, on a beautiful beach day as this one, Summer Rules!

Bat out a hell

Lower Trestles was the only game in town today, and out of desperation, I took a chance and rolled the rig on down. As it turns out, I was just plain lucky today. Head high waves at my favorite little peak, which I had all to myself, made for a really good session. There are 7-8 actual take off spots at lowers, and I usually prefer lucky number 7. Although the first 3 waves reminded me how lame you get if you don't get out surfing enough, by wave number 5, I was rolling right along as usual. By wave 10 I was really rocking and rolling. Nice to know I still can kick it around and rip! And by wave number 15, I was really flying down the inside point like a bat out a hell!

Lumpy, bumpy and dumpy

Desperation made me paddle out into Old Man's, today, hoping for a miracle. If only, somehow, the close-out lumpy waves would produce something worth riding. As it turns out, I got 5 waves, all about head high, but nothing really special. Still, that was 5 more than if I just stayed on the beach, so, I suppose, I should be grateful, even if they were all lumpy, bumpy and dumpy.

Lumpy, bumpy and dumpy

Desperation made me paddle out into Old Man's today hoping for a miracle that the close out lump waves would produce something worth riding. As it turns out, I got 5 waves, all about head high, but nothing really special. Still, that was 5 more than if I just stayed on the beach, so I suppose I should be grateful even if they were lumpy, bumpy and dumpy.

Lit me up like a rocket!

In the middle of Memorial Day Weekend, it is best to run off and find a quiet place....Actually there is no such thing today. Lines of cars 100 deep were the norm trying to slip in to Trestles and Sano.
With that, Trails was the Call today. Even at old Trail 2, the crowd loomed. But as a pod of porpoise passed by, I decided to flip a coin. I lost, and had to paddle out. As luck would have it, the people dissolved the the surf got much better. In fact, there were two waves that lit me up like a rocket!

I blended in well

After almost giving up hope of the surf ever returning, the ocean finally teased and spread out a nice buffet of waves to ride today. Without the stinking red tide, glassy green waves rolled gently to shore, which I hope is a hint of summertime things to come soon. Glassy and head high waves occasionally made me think: I can still do this! Even after a few false starts, due to lack of practice, I got eventually into rhythm and cruised up and down, back and forth, and in and out the foamy rollers just like old times. Breaking out of the box, I went to Old Mans inside reef on the south side. The SW swell needed a real point to break on, and despite the crowd, I could cherry pick what I needed between the goofy pack out there. Just as well, really, because the lack of surf has made me feel like an old man, so I blended in well.

Crap!

Cold, red tide, agro crowd at lowers, tiny...what's not to love? Crap!

Good Friday!

Not as pretty or big today, but a sparse crowd over my favorite little reef at Dogpatch was all I needed. A scant 2-4 feet and and easy paddle, I lumbered about picking off some fair waves at first that only got better as the tide came in. I won't say it will hit the history books for quality or beauty, but a few rippers peeling over the inside reef is enough for me to call it a Good Friday!

The good get going!

With head high waves and a friendly crew just paddling around wondering if it was really happening, what was the worst dry spell in recent memory has finally been broken by a sunny offshore day at Dogpatch . With the old guys hooting and dolphins ripping it up in the faces of waves, I got a hold of some real beauties this morning. With big flowing turns off the tops and vicious bottom turns, I had more than my fair share peel for a good long ways and then launch me at the end over the inside reef. I'll be a aspirin junkie for a few days, as non use made my muscles squeal a bit due to their recent lack of use, but it was finally good today, and when the going gets good, the good get going!

The great illusion

I don't know what is worse, no swell or bad swell. At least with no swell you know you don't want to go out. With bad swell there is the illusion that you could catch something. Such was the case today, as it was big but no shape along the coast. As usual, Lowers boasted 100 people in the water as it could almost manage the unruly swell. I tried a bit at Dogpatch, but the south wind and lumpy waves drove me in pretty quickly. Just a maintenance day really, paddling under 15 or so 6 foot set waves at a time, they really were not worth the effort. Still, even if I did catch only 2 waves that had a shoulder to them, I really flew along and over a few racy floater sections. So, sometimes, I think that it does pay to take a chance and try to surf the great illusion.

The heat of the moment

Today wasn't just pretty good, it was pretty incredible. A bit of pre-swell started showing around noon today so I raced down to Lower's and got some of the first of the swell. It is a deep water NW, and it likes to break right on my favorite spot. While 25 miserable foes battled for a SW mush peak on top of the point, down the line offered a 80 yard race track filled with big hard turns, off the wall snaps, carving free fall lip bounces and even a deep barrelling tube to round off the session. With a smile on my face I had the greatest carving session in recent memory in hot glassy mid day excellence, noting that the icy water temperature was long forgotten in the heat of the moment.

Good and pretty!

Good and pretty is the order of the day. I chose to wait until the end of the day today. Under the spell of the Daylight Savings Time enigma, I rode the 6 o clock evening shift when there wasn't one yesterday, and was rewarded with some empty peaks under fairy like conditions. Really...75 degrees and wisps of Pampas grass spores in hot offshore winds so that it seemed truly unworldly for the likes of California. Small carve-ables presented themselves during the best tide of the day, and I was there with little left of the crowd, so I took advantage of some glassy little racetracks. Even if I can't really say it was pretty good, I am more than satisfied it was good and pretty!

Open the window

A small window of opportunity opened up today as surf, tides and weather made a whole hour of pretty good surf. Smallish but well groomed, the little peaks sometimes broke off from the main peak at at Lowers and rolled a 100 yards or more, breaking down the line and all the way back to where I usually park my bike at the fire ring. Aside from a a few truant children mucking things up a bit, it was a nice session to stretch out and get a few long flowing turns over, around, and power floating the shoulder high walls that marched in precision all the way to the beach. I only did one hero walk but lots of long paddle backs, as I was more than ready today to open the window.

Like having left over birthday cake

Hot and glassy waves greeted me at Lowers today. Dwindling swell, but few people out in the line-up, balanced things out to provide a rather nice session. The break shifted a bit over to me at my favorite spot for a while today while the tide was coming in, leaving me with the best waves without much competition. As the crowd shrank to only 2, I popped up to the top of the point after a wave so long I elected to walk back up the point rather than paddle. I got a few lefts and a couple of hero waves right smack on the tip of the point. The full moon high tide started to swamp the waves and the crowds grew as it got warmer and warmer, but I knew I had gotten the best surf for today and left a happy camper . As I rode back up the black road, I thought it wasn't as good as the birthday waves I rode on Saturday, but I got the feeling that it was just like having left over birthday cake.

Surf-a-go-go!

Campfires are like incense in the morning at the beach in winter when the thermometer slips below 50. Dogpatch was cold, but really good, as West swells pummelled the point nonstop. Gasping for air a lot due to a certain lack of waves and conditioning this year, I still managed to make a non stop loop in across the point, ripping it up wave after wave, while avoiding the weekend crowd for the most part. Under stupid but fun things I did this morning were the over the falls floater take off and made, a couple of complete leave-the-wave aerial off the lips and and a power turn that literally killed the wave enough to duck under the lip. Not too shabby for the birthday boy, who, in spite of himself, takes another stab at the big point waves and finds it still surf-a-go-go!

Trestles still inspires me in awe!

Awe was the word for today. Awe-some waves at Trestles surprised me and everybody else today. Head high fire breathing lines spun down the point at just less than closeout speed, which made them the best waves so far this year to carve up. Awe-ful is the only word I can use for the crowd, which were rude, incompetent and more or less a perfectly good waste of surf wax. Still, after getting almost run over and cut off a few times, I took the gloves off and just paddled around them and got the best waves of the day. There isn't enough aspirin on the planet to fix me today after that session, but I can relish the memories of flying across the reef on my favorite wave, down the point ripping it up on my surfboard, with Lower Trestles in its prime form. Even after surfing it for 37 years to this day, Trestles still inspires me in awe!

Still is worth waiting for

Well, the surf finally got up out of the knee high range today for the first time in a month. Being well forecast and a Friday, all the troops were there in full force at the beach. I elected to sneak into Dogpatch territory, almost over-run with paddle boarders now, and hope for the best. Luckily, a few really nice ones came my way, and I was getting pretty interesting off the lips as the head high surf cracked over the reef at the lower tide. Too good to be true, the south wind came up and squashed the session in a matter of moments, leaving everyone to complain bitterly as they paddled in en masse about the month of lousy surf and then now to be teased by an hour of good head high waves, but then only to have them rendered useless by an evil south wind! Still, the few I got reminded me that it still is worth waiting for.

A good session!

After a way-too-long stretch of icebergs and tiny winter waves, I finally got some small surf at Lowers today. It was sunny, warm and picture perfect when I paddled out with only 1 other guy out. And it is nice when you climb into a tube to get your head wet for the first time. Still, even though it was annoying small, I'll take this over flat and freezing any day. I saw my buddy Den, the baby seal, wave to me as I left when the crowd swelled to over a dozen. Still, I got it when the going was good, and I needed a good session!

Head dipping fun

Oh, what a beautiful morning! Stunning glassy uncrowded waves met me today at Lower Trestles as well as a big dolphin in the surf. Small waves but fun, the waves took on a crystal like shimmer and were transparent, leaving the rocks and kelp below to whiz by perfectly visible. I got a dozen or so waves, soft on some but others just really full of head dipping fun!

7-11

I feel like I won the lottery today. Lowers was empty! It was sunny, offshore and small but perfect. I rode the little ones all the way to shore mostly. I even got to do the heroes walk because it was easier to walk back up the point than paddle all the way back. It is so rare when you get it all to yourself, but to get Lowers and a sunny offshore day is inconceivable. Maybe I should get a lottery ticket from the 7-11.

007

After a truly dismal stretch this past month for waves, I made it out to Lowers today and pretty much had it to myself in the prettiest morning in recent memory. A contest at Churches offered premium parking and the little waves provided maximum fun and few consequences, as it was very forgiving, small and soft. Still, with perfect little waves, my friendly seal, Den, to keep me company and Lowers in all its glory, I feel like I sneaked in like the old days to get under the radar and get it good like as if I was on a spy mission...finally I get to welcome in 007!