New South Swell Caps Epic Week

After a week of solid south swell word of a new south was out amongst the knowledgeable. Met up with Joanna, Sean, Todd and John at the locked gate for a dawn patrol session. Our keys didn't work...What! After palaver, an unnamed gymnast hopped the fence and unlocked it from the inside. Relief! We're all paddling out into a lowering tide with the picked up swell delivering booming sets on a regular basis. Sarges was a makeable race track until the tide drained out. Then it was sectiony, which was a hallmark of this swell.

Since Sarge's isn't a "south swell place," I paddled down to Al's Reef right off. Surfed for 45 minutes alone in building swell until Jared joined me. Because I was paddling in the Jay Race and I thought registration was at 0800, I got out early and beat feet over to the race site. Bummer! Registration wasn't until 0900!

Conditions were like surfing in Hawaii. Way off in the distance nascent thunderheads were forming over the ocean. These would later drop many lightning strikes across the county, setting off even more wildland fires. But I didn't know that at 0530 so I was surfing in "Hawaii" in great surf. Sets were coming in groups of six to eight waves. They would loom up out of the horizon and march at us like pods of whales coming to greet us. The best waves were hooking up from Yellow House take-off to past Los Arboles. Those that sectioned would allow a kickout and quick paddle down coast to the next take-off spot. Again, it was possible to string three or four waves together, section to section, for a 450 yard ride.

I reluctantly paddled back to Sarges to get out and caught one last screamer at the Stairway section into the beach and then up to the car for the trip over to the Jay Race.
June 21, 2008 (Sa)
In: 0529
Out: 0715
AT= 67 - 68 degrees
WT= 55 degrees at the nearshore buoy
Wx: Clear and sunny with billowy clouds
Tide: 0.26 Falling to -0.60
Wind: Offshore 1 - 3 mph
Sea Surface: Glassy
Buoy: NWS
0500: 3.6 feet @ 17.4 S
0600: 3.3 feet @ 16 SSW
0700: 3.6 feet @ 16 SSW
0800: 3.3 feet @ 16 SSW
0900: 3.3 feet @ 16 SSW
10'4" Angulo SUP with Infinity paddle
Fin set-up: Thruster with Bluecoil 5.5" center fin and FCS Occy sides
Bathymetry: Rock reefs
CDIP: (0600 hours) 0.5 feet at 10 seconds from 315 degrees and 3.4 feet at 17 seconds from 175 degrees