Nice conditions

The swell was creeping up as I was in the water this morning. It seemed like each set of waves got progressively bigger, stronger and warmer. Too bad they didn't get better. Even Dogpatch couldn't sort out the big walls of mostly closeouts. So I got a few inside waves, but for the most part, I just enjoyed the lack of school children, lack of contest madness and nice conditions.

Win the contest

I went surfing with Kelly Slater today. Sort of... He was surfing the ASP contest which has tied up lower Trestles all week while I was down on the border of the contest behind the Lifeguard boat guarding the border, picking off almost all closeouts but I had a great view of the contest from the water. As it usually happens, the best waves of the day show up when he is in the water, so I planned my session around him being in the water. The waves were better at that time, too. So I got a few waves on an impossible mission, got a good view of the contest, and of course Slater went on to win the contest.

Happy landings

Dog Patch is traditionally a pathetically slow wave, that is, unless the South Swell is trying to close out and has a bit of juice to it. Then, the inside holds up just slightly long enough to race over the shallow reef inside, providing a hollow wave for a bit. I used this little local knowledge, as it worked well for me today, catching these little shoulder high race tracks and bouncing off sections, ducking lips, and flying and sailing over the end sections with happy landings.

Summer Rules

The first Summer swell arrived yesterday, just as the kids returned to school. Too bad it was just miserably shaped and everyone and their dog was all over it. I am guessing they beat each other up so bad that the crowds were half of what they were yesterday, and I managed to find a little spot to myself for a while in Dogpatch. The euphemism the forecasts use is "pick and choose corners", which basically means it is closed out but you may get an end or two. Indeed, that is about all I got today, but a few nice ones in spite of myself make me think that even though it is late arriving, summer rules!

Screaming down the point

Indian summer is here, complete with the kids all in school, perfect sunny warm conditions and water, and Lower Trestles doing that thing it does so well, making small surf into long playful walls to surf you brains out. Granted, they were building up the grandstands on the beach for the contest next week and some hot shots were in the water, but I had my own peak to myself for the most part, and got plenty of walls that sent me screaming down the point.