Dual Shortboard/SUP Session

Weather as good as it gets! High yesterday of 82 degrees, today the mercury is pegged at 88. Light offshores have quelled the ocean upwelling. Ocean temps are up three degrees over a few days ago. The only downside...very small surf! There is a weak combo swell in the water that isn't doing much in providing good surfable waves. Where it's breaking size is waist high.

The NPAC storm track has effectively shut down. Rumor has it (if you're not checking this out on a daily basis then you're going to miss some good waves this summer) that the mostly dormant SPAC is waking up with a nice storm headed north. Since a high pressure ridge has moved in over CA the local winds that produce local waves has shifted in favor of the warm offshores. Thus, warmer ocean temps and much smaller waves.

I paddled out on the 6'8" DT5 at Rey-Reys for a few super glassy, shore dumpers at 0933. The board works great, catches waves easily, and wants to pull in and run even when there's no shoulder to do it on.

Since I've started SUPing I'm totally digging the no wax environment. I put clear grip on the nose of my SUP (and it works great) where there is no deck pad. I thought I could do it on the whole 6'8" shortboard. Wrong! Not sticky enough. It works good on the nose of the SUP 'cause you're only up there for a few seconds, and not doing much but standing there...trying to look cool. But on the shortboard you're applying pressure and torque to the board surface and there just isn't enough friction to get a good grip with your feet. My wetsuit doesn't stick to it very well either. The package of four clear grip sheets (10" X 18.5") only covered from the tail to about midships which was OK for the tail (I don't like traction pads) but stopped short of where it needed to go under my chest to complete the coverage. So I waxed the rest. This actually gave me a good comparison of the two, and the clear grip just doesn't have the stickiness needed. So...back to wax for the shortboard.

I surfed the shorty for about an hour, got out and headed over to Platty's for a paddle and surf on the SUP. The weekend crowd was thick and festive with kids, bbq's, footballs and surf schools everywhere. The weather was so nice, and the sea surface so glassy and smooth I didn't want to get out. I paddled down to the big resort (two-mile round trip), surfing a few small ones at The Wall and in between before calling it a perfect day (except for the surf).
April 12, 2008 (Sa)
In: 0933 and 1112
Out: 1040 and 1225
AT= 67 - 81 degrees
WT= 54 degrees at the farshore buoy
Wx: Clear, hot and sunny
Tide: 0.26 Falling to -0.34 feet Rising
Wind: Calm to light offshore
Sea Surface: Glassy with a slight roll
Buoy: NWS
0900: 3.9 feet @ 11.4 seconds NW
1000: 3.6 feet @ 14.8 seconds S
1100: 3.9 feet @ 11.4 seconds NW
1200: 3.6 feet @ 14.8 seconds S
Bob Miller Bluecoil Devolution 6'8" DT5
Fin set-up: Future Quads: Scimitar 451's
10'4" Angulo SUP with Infinity paddle
Fin set-up: Thruster with Bluecoil 5.5" center fin and FCS Occy sides
Bathymetry: Sand bars
CDIP: 2.5 feet at 10 seconds from 310 degrees and 1.4 feet at 14 seconds from 190 degrees