Small West Swell Rolls In

Another incredible sunrise this morning, followed by one of the warmest days of the last few weeks. The small and somewhat weak wind swell spawned by the storm that waded across the NPAC in almost a due east beeline, peaked today but was unfavorably influenced by the higher daytime tides.

I paddled out his morning at 0627 and right over to GDubs. I surfed there alone for about 20 minutes in very weak waves that weren't really doing much of anything. I was hoping for better. Priscilla paddled out, followed by Michael, then Keith, Tim, Steve, Andy, Chris...everyone made the scene it. Around 0745 the surf seemed to pick up, we started getting some decent sets that put up some nice walls on the inside reefs, and everyone got waves. Then it just went calm. Surfed some small ones, a few folks called it a morning and by 0900 I was heading back to the take-out.

On the way in, I tweaked my lower back stepping off my SUP into a surgy shorey. No big deal really, just got twisted up the wrong way. Fortunately, I had my bimonthly sports massage therapy appointment and chiropractor's visit scheduled for today so by the evening I was feeling pretty good.

I checked it in the afternoon at low tide and it looked much better. The waves liked the lower tides and were showing it.

Work all day tomorrow. Surf is fading. Not much coming for a while.
Sept 26, 2008 (F)
In: 0627
Out: 0900
AT= 54F to 62F
WT= 60.5F at the nearshore buoy
Wx: Clear and sunny with low fog in the distance
Tide: 2.64 Rising to 4.7
Wind: Calm
Sea Surface: Smooth and glassy with some backwash bump
Buoy: NWS
0400: 6.9 feet @ 11.4 WNW
0700: 7.5 feet @ 11.4 WNW
1100: 8.2 feet @ 10.8 WNW
10'4" Angulo SUP with Infinity Ottertail paddle
Fin set-up: Thruster with K2D2 4.75" center fin and FCS Occy sides
Bathymetry: Rock reefs
CDIP: (0800 hours) 6.8 feet at 12 seconds from 320 degrees and 0.9 feet at 17 seconds from 185 degrees

Pacific Day Dream

The Pacific Ocean lived up to it's name this morning...peaceful, mild, and calm. There was even less surf than yesterday, which was OK with me, I still got three or four waves where there weren't any waves.

I waited a bit longer than usual to paddle out since there was no surf, launching into another warm and delicious morning at 0650 and taking the stand up tour for two and a half hours before I leisurely stepped off my SUP and into ankle deep water at the sand's edge. For those who don't stand up, a morning like today can be disappointing. No surf to ride, especially for shortboarders. But for stand up paddle surfers a day like today is just as satisfying, and a joyous "break" from surfing, just to paddle, sight see and enjoy the glories of the natural world into which we have been born, and by which we have been so gifted.

Again and even more so, I was able to hug the shoreline up coast and down because of the lack of swell and breaking waves. It is difficult to convey just how peaceful and meditative walking on water can be. No reason to be in a hurry. You just might miss something. One thing I heard today that my ears never picked up before, was the sound of the tires on pavement as the cars rolled down Guinness Street on the long, slowly descending straightaway into Chapeauville. Because the ever present din of breaking surf was absent, I finally heard it, standing silent on my board at the base of the 80- foot cliff that edges the roadway. It wasn't an intrusive sound, just a faint echo in the distance overhead. A welcome lonely sound really, underscoring the fact that tourist season is over and only we locals are here to enjoy a very special place.

I almost didn't take the second two mile trip from Sarges to NB's. But I was beguiled and seduced by the beauty of the day, the sea surface and the warmth of the sun. I didn't want it to end. At the take-out John was getting ready for his paddle. We never fail to exchange enthusiasm, it's hard to contain good times to oneself. Maybe one more day of this, maybe two. I work tomorrow so I'll miss the dp. Sigh...
Sept 24, 2008 (W)
In: 0650
Out: 0920
AT= 51.7F to 62.6F
WT= 58.8F at the nearshore buoy
Wx: Light morning clouds clearing to full sun
Tide: 3.78 Rising to 3.93 Falling
Wind: Calm to light offshore, to light southwesterly
Sea Surface: Smooth and glassy with some backwash bump
Buoy: NWS
0600: 4.3 feet @ 9.1 WNW
0700: 3.9 feet @ 7.7 WNW
0800: 3.6 feet @ 7.1 WNW
0900: 3.9 feet @ 8.3 WNW
10'4" Angulo SUP with Infinity Ottertail paddle
Fin set-up: Thruster with K2D2 4.75" center fin and FCS Occy sides
Bathymetry: Rock reefs
CDIP: (0800 hours) 1.9 feet at 9 seconds from 320 degrees and 1.0 feet at 20 seconds from 165 degrees

September Sweet Spot

Fall rolled in with a sweet September sunrise and the promise of some preternaturally unparalleled days and nights. The sun peaked over the hills, never blinking at the cloudless sky and shimmering seas. Light offshores placed a friction generated layer of frosting that chattered under my board like the sound of children playing in a far off playground, light and soft. The hazy, orange glow of creation, born of freshness, was found everywhere from the faces of the cliffs, to the faces of those few people fortunate enough to witness creationism in action, each day, created new. Life is short, enjoy it.

OK, enough of me trying to write what it felt like this morning. Life is good! Enough said. Into the sea at 0640 and heading to the point, in general. No specific goals, no real ground swell in the water, wind swell weak and sloppy, no plans of even surfing if that's the way it was going to be. Of course it wasn't. Scimi's was deserted, but it's never so small that there isn't something. Hooked into a half dozen little right hand peelers in the stone silence of this holy day (aren't they all) before a couple longboarders decided that it actually could be surfed. When they paddled out, I left. Have fun amigos, I'm gone up coast.

Paddled, hugging coastline the whole way, to past the point and into the 20-something avenues, enjoying the paddle, checking the sites and harassing the seals. Didn't really mean to harass 'em, they were just there and felt like being harassed. Got some great fitness and balancing exercise standing in the playful chop, backwash and friendly swells 15 feet from shore, taking pics. Each paddle stroke a mini-crunch, each side-to-side wobble, a glut/hamstring/quad rep. A couple hundred (or is it thousand) per session.

Met up with Andy on my inbound leg, he on his outbound leg. Surfed Scimi's together for a while before he headed west, and I headed east, back to the rising sun. Talked with Sam as I was getting out of the water, he getting into the water. "Hey, I'm going to pull my trailer down to the cliffs, bring the grand kids," says he, in that effervescent joyful way he has about him. Always good to see Sammy coming.

Included a bunch of pics this morning, mainly for NC Paddle Surfer, who has never visited here before. Hope you like the additional pics Dwight. Come visit someday, we'll get you and that little C4 ripper into some Cali stand up reef juice.

The NWS has us down for a couple more days of this, and that's good with me. I'll be out 'til I drop or the fog comes in, but at this point....who cares, I'm too busy being loved up by mama nature.
Sept 23, 2008 (Tu)
In: 0640
Out: 0900
AT= 51.2F to 59.2F (The point PWS)
WT= 59F at the nearshore buoy
Wx: Clear and sunny, light hazy clouds on the horizon
Tide: 3.8 Rising to 3.7 Falling
Wind: Calm to offshore at 2mph.
Sea Surface: Some backwash bump mixing in with light wind ripples, smooth in the kelp
Buoy: NWS (sporadic data)
0600: 6.2 feet @ 7.7 WNW
0700: 6.9 feet @ 9.1 WNW
1100: 6.2 feet @ 8.3 NW
1200: 6.2 feet @ 9.1 WNW
10'4" Angulo SUP with Infinity Ottertail paddle
Fin set-up: Thruster with K2D2 4.75" center fin and FCS Occy sides
Bathymetry: Rock reefs
CDIP: (0700 hours) 5.4 feet at 9 seconds from 315 degrees and .9 feet at 12 seconds from 185 degrees

West Swell Delivers

Surfed some of the nicest waves the Summer had to offer this morning. What started out as a combo swell that filled in nicely from the south and west yesterday afternoon, continues today as the West/WNW swell that originated about a week ago off the Kamchatka Peninsula near the Gulf of Alaska. But in spite of origins, this morning a good time was had by all.

Fact is, the south/WNW combo peaked yesterday afternoon. I told myself I should go surfing but I talked me into thinking that it would hold until this morning. Wrong. According to Joanna's testimony, Sarges and all spots up and down coast were just firing until the tide got too low, and the waves started closing out. I really missed it! (Thought I'd tell myself that before John has a chance to.)

Anyway...paddled out at Oh-Dark Thirty into a mostly cloudy sky, remnants of a low pressure trough that the NWS said wasn't going to get as far south as it did. No matter, it was a warm one, balmy even. So I can't be mad at 'em for screwing up the forecast. It didn't interfere with the wave quality at all.

I headed over to Middles from Sarges first thing. Already a half dozen guys were on GDubs, but no one in front of the drain pipe...but me. I picked off a half dozen in the ever increasing morning light. Keith, who teaches at Sonoma State, paddled over from Eights on his custom Ward Coffey SUP, a custom epoxy 10-6 quad. It wasn't long before we were introduced, talking story and swapping equipment. (That's the way it is in the SUP world.) I got a nice pic of Keith on the Olohe. Shizzle! I wish I looked that good. Nice style K-Man.

The WC surfs like a shortboard, whereas the Olohe surfs more like a longboard. I got a few waves with it, and was wishing for more wave size and swell juice. I watched Keith ride a few on the WC and he surfed it like he surfs his shortboards. Turns from the middle. I did get one nice section that I tried a long floater on and the quad handled it very well. Nice and stable. Comparatively, the Angulo wobbles a bit with all that styrofoam bobbling around in the aerated whitewash. But one thing I missed about the Olohe compared to the WC, is the trim. The Angulo trims like a dream, and is a real section maker. It takes off like a rocket when you step to the sweet spot. The quad requires pumping. I was a bit surprised by how much lighter the non-composite construction Coffey was. On one wave I was behind paddling in, and was able to drag the board and me onto the wave face with much less effort than I would have had to expend on the Olohe. (That also would seem to account for how much easier the lighter board was to handle in the foam. My little 150 pound, medium-small person frame, was able to push around the lighter board with a little more command than the heavier board.)

With all the surfers and waves in the water I was able to get a nice sequence of Peter at Gdubs. Pete's a big guy and he had one of the smoothest rides, on one of the best waves of the morning. As my Bali transplanted friend Leonard used to always say..."Geev'em bra!"

My crowd-o-meter went off about 0800 and I decided to thin the herd by making myself one of the victims. I paddled in with lots of nice ones tucked away in my wave memory bag. A really fun session, in a sweet Fall swell.

Sept 20, 2008 (Sa)
In: 0632
Out: 0800
AT= 59.7F to 61.2F
WT= 60.8F at the nearshore buoy
Wx: Heavy to partly clearing cloud cover
Tide: 2.94 Falling to 2.7
Wind: Calm
Sea Surface: Smooth and glassy with some backwash bump
Buoy: NWS
0600: 5.9 feet @ 12.1 WNW
0700: 6.2 feet @ 12.1 WNW
0800: 5.9 feet @ 10.8 WNW
0900: 5.9 feet @ 12.1 W
10'4" Angulo SUP with Infinity Ottertail paddle
Fin set-up: Thruster with K2D2 4.75" center fin and FCS Occy sides
Bathymetry: Rock reefs
CDIP: (0800 hours) 4.1 feet at 11 seconds from 285 degrees and 2.4 feet at 14 seconds from 175 degrees

Small S Swell; NW Building; Good Wx Ahead

I'd be out this morning at dawn even if there were NO waves, but there were some decent ones so...Life is Good!

Paddled into another beautiful morning sunrise, even better than yesterday's, at 0632. I wasn't expecting a whole lot from the small, steeply angled, southerly ground swell, so I wasn't disappointed by the fun, but somewhat subdued waves I got. You could definitely tell they were south swell waves by the way they lined up more in front of the stairway than the point. But they didn't have the punch to carry them through the soft spots with much speed. Tide wasn't real high, being within prime parameters for Sarges at between 2 and 3 feet, but it just felt like there was a lot of water moving, and it was kind of mushy. GDubs looked better, but had a dozen people on it super early. Joanna surfed there early and said it just pumped for about a half hour, and then just kinda stopped. I elected to surf Sarges by myself for 45 minutes in decent waves. Steve and Mike paddled out on their SUPs, but by then things were fading, and the rising tide wasn't making it any better.

Conditions couldn't have been better. A brisk offshore was holding up the faces and blowing spray off the tops. Around 0900 the winds died down and it went dead glassy. I drove by the point after surfing and it was drop dead, photo shoot perfect, gorgeous, even though the tide was swamping the surf. Wx is just supposed to keep getting better over the weekend and into early next week. Hallelujah!

The south is forecast to start fading, but coming on is the northwesterly swell that blew up last week off the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Gulf. It started showing on the farshore buoy yesterday evening at around 4PM. Although the south is still the primary swell showing on the farshore buoy, the nearshore buoy is picking up the northwesterly swell. Looks like another dp for tomorrow.

Steve was SUP surfing on MikieB's borrowed Surftech 10-7 Takayama and learning the hard way about the trade-off between a SUP that paddles well, vs. a performance SUP that surfs like a longboard. On a SUP paddling and surfing are in inverse proportion. The easier it is to paddle, the harder it is to surf and vice versa. Heck of a workout though!

Since there were no surfing pics today, I put in a paddling pic of Brother Mike doing some stand up in Haleiwa. Now THAT'S how stand up should be done...warm water, mellow breezes, glassy conditions and trunkin' it. I could even do that!
Sept 19, 2008 (F)
In: 0632
Out: 0900
AT= 47F to 60F
WT= 60.6F at the nearshore buoy
Wx: Sunny, partly cloudy
Tide: 2.3 Rising to 3.0
Wind: Offshore 1-5mph
Sea Surface: Light offshore wind rippling
Buoy: NWS
0600: 3.9 feet @ 16 SSW
0700: 4.3 feet @ 16 SSW
0800: 3.9 feet @ 16 SSW
0900: 3.9 feet @ 14.8 WSW
10'4" Angulo SUP with Infinity Ottertail paddle
Fin set-up: Thruster with K2D2 4.75" center fin and FCS Occy sides
Bathymetry: Rock reefs
CDIP: (0800 hours) 4.4 feet at 14 seconds from 285 degrees and 2.5 feet at 17 seconds from 185 degrees

Finally...Some Sun

For the first time in about a week and a half, the sun rose into a clear and cloudless sky, with a brisk offshore as counterpoint. Sept/Oct are usually the best months for great weather, but so far it's been more like June Gloom. When it was cold like this I used to sarcastically laugh and say..."oh yeah, global warming!" But hey, this is global warming. Hot inland and cold at the coast. Anyway...

A non-overcast morning adds 20 minutes to an early paddle out time, one that I missed this morning by about...20 minutes. Launched from Sarges at 0635, prepared to do the point route and back. Better waves are starting to fill in with a new west/northwest swell, and a small south, but it really isn't cranked up yet. Tomorrow and into the weekend should be pretty good (as good as it's gonna get anyway) and then things don't look so good after that.

Chatted with Greg at GDubs and picked off a few there before heading up coast to Tres Eights and the point. It was small and somewhat inconsistent at Dubs, but a few good ones were swinging wide, making for some racy walls on the inside. Paddled through Eights and hung out at a couple spots at the point. Steve was out, but just getting ready to head in for work. I ended up standing pretty far inside where I was able to pick up some wide ones that the pack either couldn't get, or if they could, closed out on 'em. Got quite a few waves before heading back to Sarges and the take out.

On one little ripping insider at the point I got crossed up by the kelp and pitched forward. I stopped my forward motion with my left hand to the board, let go of the paddle and was holding it with the right only. As I lunged forward, my paddle and hand dipped into the brine whereby my paddle was promptly engaged by a ball of kelped and ripped out of my grasp. That's a first, thought I. I dropped to the deck prone and eased out the back, instantly craning my neck, looking for the paddle. Thanks to the yellow electrical tape I have wound around the paddle shaft, I saw it immediately floating about 25 feet away. I sprinted to the paddle and retrieved it before the next whitewash came through. Kelp!

On the way back I got caught in a set just past the main peak at Eights. I picked up a nice little bomb right in front of 3Palms for a long ride into the beach. I decided to see if there were any more of those and there was one...15 mintues later. Picked up a late takeoff in a steep section that was the wave of the day for me there. Rode the momentum back down coast to GDubs.

John "You Really Missed It" was out with Andy, getting the wide ones. Talked about how John has never surfed P Creek better in 25 years again, and then again, and then again, before ragging on him again, and again and again. Good thing we're friends 'cause this is actually fun!

The sequence is Andy on one of the inside rippers. I kept yelling at him to get five, which he promptly did, just before pearling. Just out of frame he went for a bareback swim. Ha-ha...I love it when that happens. Here I am, Mr. Weenie in my 4/3, and these guys are trunkin' it. Have they no respect for my ego? (As I was climbing the trail back to the lot, I ran into Dave, SUP on head...also trunkin' it!) They hate me...

Sept 18, 2008 (Th)
In: 0635
Out: 0900
AT= 48.5F to 60.4F
WT= 59.8F at the nearshore buoy
Wx: Clear and sunny.
Tide: 1.8 Rising to 3.2
Wind: Offshore 1-5mph
Sea Surface: Light offshore wind rippling to glassy
Buoy: NWS
0700: 3.9 feet @ 12.1 W
0800: 3.3 feet @ 10.8 W
0900: 3.6 feet @ 10.9 WNW
1000: 3.6 feet @ 10.9 WNW
10'4" Angulo SUP with Infinity Ottertail paddle
Fin set-up: Thruster with K2D2 4.75" center fin and FCS Occy sides
Bathymetry: Rock reefs
CDIP: (0800 hours) 2.3 feet at 11 seconds from 290 degrees and 2.2 feet at 14 seconds from 185 degrees

Ground Swell/Wind Swell Remnants

Paddled out dawn patrol before church to get some exercise and ride a few small remnants of the now almost completely gone swell of last week. The combo SW ground/NW wind swell had a pretty good run before dying of natural causes, feeding us decent waves for almost a week.

This incessant morning overcast seems interminable. It was too dark to paddle out when I hit the sand and started my warm-up exercises and stretches. By the time I was done, it was almost light enough to see any incoming waves, but I waited around, killing time. At 0627 I hit the water and began paddling through Sarges, enroute to GDubs and the spots up coast.

After surfing last weeks sessions in higher water, the 1.5 low tide brought the kelp reality back home. No...the swell did not tear out large quantities of kelp. So, I paddled through 100 foot sections of thick kelp that continually stopped my forward progress. At times instead pulling my paddle through water, I was pushing it off the tops of thick clumps of kelp forest, keel boat style. Life's about trade-offs. Last week it was higher tides and backwash bump, this week it's low tides and kelp. Waves make a difference though, the bigger the better. Bigger waves bring larger volumes of water which float you over the kelp during lower tides. Higher tides present other problems when you get big surf. But, I'll take the waves thanks, any day.

A light offshore was at my back on the way to the point. I passed Scimi's, it wasn't looking good. The only peak working even slightly was first. Everything else was closing out. So I paddled up to the point and snagged quite a few small waves at the second bowl. Not too crowded for a Sunday morning. Rode there until 0730, then headed back for the take out at Sarges. Distance wise, the paddle is a nice comfortable, aerobic two-mile round trip. Just right for a short morning workout when combined with a wave catching anaerobic workout. Fun too, and that can't be beat.

On the way home the northerly offshore wind intensified, making for a more strenuous upwind paddle. I found the lee of the point at Scimi's, and then tucked into the lee of the point at Sarges. Not completely windless, but a major improvement.

Overall not a great surf session, but fun, and an almost perfect, early morning Sunday workout.
Sept 14, 2008 (Su)
In: 0627
Out: 0800
AT= 53.9F to 53.6F
WT= 60.4F at the nearshore buoy
Wx: Continuing overcast
Tide: 1.5 Rising to 3.1
Wind: Offshore 1-5mph
Sea Surface: Light offshore wind rippling
Buoy: NWS
0600: 3.6 feet @ 10 WNW
0700: 3.6 feet @ 12.9 S
0800: 3.3 feet @ 12.9 SSW
0900: 3.3 feet @ 12.9 S
10'4" Angulo SUP with Infinity Ottertail paddle
Fin set-up: Thruster with K2D2 4.75" center fin and FCS Occy sides
Bathymetry: Rock reefs
CDIP: (0800 hours) 2.6 feet at 9 seconds from 315 degrees and 2 feet at 14 seconds from 195 degrees

South Fading

Moment of Remembrance to honor the brave brothers who died in the Towers. May they rest in peace, forever remembered as the warrior heroes they were. They died in the highest calling, helping their fellow man. The Seventh Year After The Fall.

The south swell began fading today, but in combo with the existing NW wind swell, still put up some fine waves this morning. I paddled out at oh-dark-thirty and still didn't beat Joanna and Sean into the line-up. I could barely see as I paddled over the incoming rollers. They must take off their night vision goggles as soon as they see me coming.

Tide wasn't has high as yesterday, and it was pretty consistent at Sarges for the first 20 minutes or so. I caught a couple of small ones (waist high) that put up an unmakeable section inside. Joanna had priority for the next wave, an outside beauty, but she was too far inside to make it. She called me onto the wave and it was my best ride of the morning at Sarges. Thanks Jo!

A couple more longboarders paddled out so I thought I'd decrease the crowd a bit, and paddled over to Yellow House. Because the surf was smaller, only one multi-wave, head high set rolled through in the 1.5 hours I was there. But the Prow Bowl into YH Bowl was working even better. Although the rides were short, they were fast, steep and adrenaline intensive.

Mash and MikieB paddled out after a while. Good to see Mashie back in the line-up after his unfortunate accident in the beach break. He looks good and got some nice ones, but is taking it easy. He wasn't out for too long.

The tide swamped things, and without the big sets booming in, I got impatient waiting around. So I paddled up coast to Sarges. One longboarder out. We traded waves for about 20 minutes when he called it a day and paddled in. Out came Whitty on his SUP, followed shortly by John and Sam. So it was nothin' but SUPs for my last hour.

Surf seemed to pick up a bit, waves got a bit bigger and quality was good. Still inconsistent though. But overall, another very good session. Less bump and an early offshore wind made conditions in the gray overcast pretty good. SW wind came up about 9, but didn't mess anything up. One cool thing about more water moving through a higher tide is that the kelp has been neutralized. Take that, you tentacled demon veggies!

Sept 11, 2008 (Th)
In: 0627
Out: 0900
AT= 52.3F to 55.4F
WT= 60F at the nearshore buoy
Wx: Continuing overcast
Tide: 2.5 Rising to 3.9
Wind: Calm to light offshore
Sea Surface: Mostly glassy with some light backwash bump
Buoy: NWS
0500: 5.6 feet @ 13.8 S
0700: 5.6 feet @ 10.8 WNW
0800: 5.6 feet @ 10.8 NW
1000: 5.6 feet @ 10.8 WNW
1100: 5.6 feet @ 16 S
10'4" Angulo SUP with Infinity Ottertail paddle
Fin set-up: Thruster with K2D2 4.75" center fin and FCS Occy sides
Bathymetry: Rock reefs
CDIP: (0800 hours) 3.9 feet at 10 seconds from 325 degrees and 3.1 feet at 14 seconds from 185 degrees

The Lone Ranger In More SW Ground Swell Energy

For me, it just doesn't get much better than today's session. Oh yeah, it could have been warm and sunny, the tide could have been a foot lower, but that is the only thing that kept this classic session from being epic. I must confess, although I love people, and can blab, chat, hang out and socialize with the best, I love surfing alone, especially in fun waves. Today's waves were good and fun.

I paddled out late after 1) misjudging the tide, and 2) lagging in bed because I'm still not feeling in A-1 condition after my bout yesterday with whatever intestinal bug decided to play in my duodenum and all parts south. As I arrived in the parking lot, Sarges regulars Jamie, Joanna and Dean were getting out, done for the day. I thought, "shizizit," the tide has flooded it, waves will be crizap! But they assured me that there were still some left, so I felt less anxious.

I paddled out at 0847 through a healthy shore pound, always a good sign, and into a rising tide backwash bump that provided the basis for a strenuous workout all morning long. Already four SUP surfers in the line-up at Sarges, hmmm, that's too many. A nice set came through down coast of the main peak at Sarges (another good sign) so I thought I'd take a chance on Yellow House. Good call.

I surfed for three hours by myself in not all that inconsistent south swell energy that put up nothing smaller than chest high waves all morning. Did I say, Life is Good! I got two long distance, continuous rides from Yellow House to Dicks (300 yards) and a couple doubles for two more 300 yard waves. There wasn't a breath of wind in the gray overcast day until a small gust hit me in the face at 11AM. Finally a small southwest breeze came up, and lasted until I got out at the three hour mark.

Even the short rides on the smaller waves were fun. Waves were coming through that provided a nice steep take-off in the Prow Point bowl, which set-up into the next bowl section at the Yellow House take-off. Bigger sets provided the long rides at the Yellow House bowl take-off spot. The combination of the higher tide and ground swell created a cliff side blowhole in one of the caves inside.

The backwash from the cliffs created unsettled, washboard conditions everywhere. Bumps came from all directions except east and balancing was non-stop. The only rest I got was when I sat down. I fell off paddling for a wave once (I hate it when that happens) and got knocked off several times by mixed seas after kicking out of a couple waves. But, what great practice for the big swells this winter, which always come with backwash included. My legs are in better shape this season than last also. So I'll be able to handle the wave face bump and chatter with more confidence.

Riding the small waves through the Yellow House bowl was a challenge because just as I set up a couple times to trim across the scooped out wave face, a piece of backwash water would instantly hollow it out some more, which I wasn't expecting. If my rear foot was too far back on the tail, Mr. Angulo's afterburners made possible by his magic hard edges would kick in and rocket me out of the pocket. The first couple times caught me weighting back too much, and me and the board parted company front to rear.

Since there was no one to take pictures of, the empty wave sequence will have to do. It starts out about head high and ends up being in the chest high range.

Sept 10, 2008 (W)
In: 0847
Out: 1200
AT= 56.7F to 61.8F
WT= 60F at the nearshore buoy
Wx: Continuing overcast
Tide: 3.84 Rising to 3.4 Falling
Wind: Calm to light SW
Sea Surface: Mostly glassy with multi-directional backwash bump
Buoy: NWS
0800: 6.6 feet @ 16 S
0900: 6.6 feet @ 14.8 SSW
1000: 6 feet @ 16 S
1100: 7.2 feet @ 10.8 NW
1200: 7.2 feet @ 10 NW
10'4" Angulo SUP with Infinity Ottertail paddle
Fin set-up: Thruster with K2D2 4.75" center fin and FCS Occy sides
Bathymetry: Rock reefs
CDIP: (1100 hours) 8.2 feet at 11 seconds from 325 degrees and 2.5 feet at 14 seconds from 185 degrees