NPAC Storm #2 Puts Up Big Double Digits

UPDATED: Sunday morning, November 30
I almost started to get used to kicking out in front of the pier, and after my fourth, one-quarter
mile ride, I started to get tired. But, I'm getting ahead of myself.

The waves created by the monster storm with the "black eye" arrived at the farshore buoy in the time frame I predicted, between 7AM and Noon. The first 23.5 second period fore runners smacked the buoy at 9AM after a 12 hour flight from the "State" buoy. Initial swell size was about 10 feet and it grew.

I was on scene at 0615, prior to swell arrival, hoping to maybe catch a little bit of ridable swell as it increased in size and period. But the high tide still put the kibosh on it, pushing too much water, and not enough energy. Waves were sporadic and crumbly and just didn't look all that great. I headed home and went back to bed. Nice morning though. Cold. 40 degrees at my house, 44 at the beach.

I returned about 1PM and checked it from Central. It was big and getting bigger. It looked like there was a channel off Sarges so I headed there. The swell was running at 23 second intervals, and settled into a pattern until dusk of 21 second periods. This produced 12 to 14 wave sets. Fortunately, the lulls were about ten minutes, opening a space to paddle back out, and rest until the next set.

Conditions improved from 1PM until I got out at dusk. The southwest wind calmed from about 2 until 4:30, when it came back up and put a light ripple across the water. In that time interval it was bumpy, but glassy. Wave size increased throughout the afternoon as well. Nothing I saw all day was less than head high.

I was able to pick off a few inside six footers that yielded 300 or 400 yard rides with solid vertical sections that were fast and semi clean. After 3P I took nothing but waves that looked double overhead on the turnaround and drop. Those are the beauties that put up the 500 yard rides.

Around 4P I decided I was tired (see opening sentence) and needed to head in. It was then that I got a case of "just one more" disease. My second to last wave I rode too far into the pier. When I kicked out I was only about 30 feet from the pilings, and three bigger waves that were going to break, were bearing down on me. I didn't want to get washed through the pier, so I tucked my paddle under my chest and prone paddled as hard as I could, aiming for the beach at an angle away from the pier.

The first wall of white wash hit hard, flipped me over, filled up my sinuses, and sent a gush of salt water down my throat. I rolled back over, sputtering and choking, regained my prone position before the next one, and fared better. This wave blasted me away from the pier and I was on my way to the beach, still coughing and clearing water from my airway. When I hit the sand I joined two other guys who has just experienced the same thing. We just lay there for a while, recovering, and commiserating.

After ten minutes of rest, I got ready to paddle back out on the down current side of the pier but had to wait for a macking 15 wave set that was putting up big swells at the boat tie-downs just off the end of the pier. (The images of the white buoys are the tie downs as I paddled back out and into another big set.)

Since we rarely get swells this big that can actually be surfed at the reefs, it was an odd sensation to be catching waves so far off the cliffs. It just didn't compute sometime, that you were taking off on this big wall in such deep water. "How can it break this far out," was what I kept asking myself.

After that paddle out the back (way out the back), it was getting dark. The only "just one more wave" I wanted now, was one into the beach.

The paddle up coast to the peak at Sarges from the pier was about a mile. The extra distance was because you had to paddle so far out to sea to get over the biggest incoming waves. I arrived at Sarges in the fading light only to be greeted by another big 12 wave set. I just kept paddling out to sea and each successive wave just kept getting bigger. Finally I paddled over the last one and into the lull. I had to paddle back in to the main peak to get one in. My final wave was a very nice, couple feet overhead and well lined up ripper into the close-out section off nudie beach. A great way to end an incredible day. These are the days of days, the days we live for in the surfing world.
Nov 29, 2008 (Sa)
In: 1315
Out: 1700
AT= 61.5F to 67.5 to 59F
WT= 55F
Wx: Clear and sunny with some light broken high clouds
Tide: 3.1' to -.5' and still Falling
Wind: WSW 1-7mph to calm to light WSW
Sea Surface: Light wind chopped and big swell bumpy
10-2 Angulo SUP with Infinity Ottertail paddle
Fin set-up: 2+1 with Future 9" Cutaway center fin and Future Quad 340 side bites
Bathymetry: Reefs
CDIP: Deep Water Swell
1300: 10.2 feet @ 20 WWNW (280 degrees-NPAC) and 0.0 @ 0.0 (000 degrees-SPAC)
1400: 10 feet @ 20 WWNW (280 degrees-NPAC) and 0.0 @ 0.0 (000 degrees-SPAC)
1500: 12.7 feet @ 20 WNW (285 degrees-NPAC) and 0.0 @ 0.0 (000 degrees-SPAC)
1600: 12.8 feet @ 20 WNW (290 degrees-NPAC) and 0.0 @ 0.0 (000 degrees-SPAC)
1700: 12.8 feet @ 20 WNW (290 degrees-NPAC) and 0.0 @ 0.0 (000 degrees-SPAC
CDIP: Wave Face Heights
1300: 4-10 feet
1400: 4-10 feet
1500: 6-12 feet
1600: 6-12 feet
1700:6-12 feet
Buoy: NWS (Farshore)
1300: 11.5 feet @ 21.1 W
1400: 11.5 feet @ 23.5 W
1500: 14.1 feet @ 21.1 WNW
1600: 14.1 feet @ 21.1 WNW
1700: 11.2 feet @ 21.1 WNW

More Beach Break And A Fin Change

I'd actually meant to do this last session, but forgot until I got down on the sand. Anyway, it's easier to change out the fins on the saw horses at home prior to the session.

One of the reasons I'm surfing the 10-2 "Perfect Wave" (as Ed likes to call it) as a thruster, is the kelp. The shallow draft fins don't catch on the kelp stalks and leaves anywhere near as badly as a longer fin, and in smaller, less punchy waves, the thruster tri-fin set up allows more maneuverability. The board is still fast with the thruster set-up, but when the waves gain in size and/or energy and there's not kelp, the game changes a bit. I like the pivoty feel and the little bit of extra drive I get from a longer center fin. And in bigger surf, like what's coming this weekend, extra maneuverability isn't an issue. I'll probably feel a little more comfortable having the deeper center fin while making longer, drawn out lines on the larger wave faces. Covering territory directly will be on my mind if the waves are refracting in such a way as to hook up from reef to reef. Sounds good to me anyway...

Of course one of the first things I noticed about the fin swap was how much harder it was to quick turn the board. I can't "cheat" as much, and don't have to weight the tail at all with the thrusters in order to get a quick turnaround and paddle for the wave. With the deeper center fin it's time to sink the tail and bring it around. On the up side to that though, is I can take a lot more strokes on one side of the board before having to correct for direction by paddling over on the other side. Life's full of trade-offs.

Today's session at ManRay's was fun, and the size was just about right, two to four feet. There wasn't as much of a channel today as there was on Sunday, but the waves were a wee bit bigger. I punched through most of the breaking whitewater except for a couple occasions, and only got caught inside once. Like John said, the trick is to prone paddle out the back while laying on your paddle when things get consistently energetic in the white wash. I don't know how Keith does it up there in OB except for that he's a man in good shape and I'm a wimp, gasping, sputtering and swearing at my bad fortune to be caught inside.

Buzz paddled out after a while on his 10-10, followed by another guy on another Angulo 10-10, but by then I'd gone in. Never did recognize the other sweeper.

Tomorrow things start to get interesting.
Nov 28, 2008 (F)
In: 0845
Out: 1000
AT= 54F to 56F
WT= 55F
Wx: Variable Cloudy to Overcast with periodic breaks in the cloud cover
Tide: 5.24' Rising to 5.35' Falling
Wind: Light offshore to calm
Sea Surface: Light wind chopped to calm
10-2 Angulo SUP with Infinity Ottertail paddle
Fin set-up: 2+1 with Future 9" Cutaway center fin and Future Quad 340 side bites
Bathymetry: Sand bottom
CDIP: Deep Water Swell
0800: 3.7 feet @ 12 WNW (300 degrees-NPAC) and 1.0 @ 12.0 (165 degrees-SPAC)
0900: 4.2 feet @ 12 NW (310 degrees-NPAC) and 1.1 @ 12.0 (165 degrees-SPAC)
1000: 5.0 feet @ 12 NW (310 degrees-NPAC) and .9 @ 12.0 (165 degrees-SPAC)
1100: 5.5 feet @ 17 WNW (295 degrees-NPAC) and 1.0 @ 12.0 (165 degrees-SPAC)
CDIP: Wave Face Heights
0800: 2-4 feet
0900: 2-4 feet
1000: 2-4 feet
1100: 3-5 feet
Buoy: NWS (Nearshore)
0800: 2.6 feet @ 13.3 WNW
0900: 2.6 feet @ 13.3 WNW
1000: 3.3 feet @ 13.3 WNW
1100: 3.6 feet @ 13.3 NW

More Fun in New Small Wind Swell

Maybe it was the impending rain storm. Perhaps it was the late arriving Surfline updates, or just inattention. But whatever it was, it was good and it gave me an hour and a half of uncrowded conditions in very consistent waist to occasional chest high walled up, fast reeling and peeling zippers.

I paddled out to four people in the line-up. Codi had been out for a while and bailed almost right away. The two longboarders were sitting too far over, got frustrated and paddled in after about a half hour. That left me and fellow Angulo 10-2 stand up surfer Dave C alone with about 30 or 40 waves. We surfed by ourselves for an hour.

Near the end of the session, Gunnar paddled out on his 10-6 Jr. Lifeguard competition paddleboard and proceeded to rip, riding on his knees and even standing up a couple times. A testament to incredible balance. John S. paddled out on his 10-10 Angulo but by then, the tide had dropped way below where it should have been to produce the necessary water depth and anyway, I was done. I was surprised that it was as good as it was for that spot, and that it lasted as long as it did, given the very low tide.

Rest tomorrow and prep for Thanksgiving Day.
Nov 25, 2008 (Tu)
In: 1310
Out: 1445
AT= 59F
WT= 55.8F
Wx: Overcast with periodic light rain
Tide: .62' Falling to -.39' Falling
Wind: Light and variable with some offshore
Sea Surface: Mostly glassy
10-2 Angulo SUP with Infinity Ottertail paddle
Fin set-up: Thruster with K2D2 4.75" center fin and Future FJC1
Bathymetry: Rock reefs
CDIP: Deep Water Swell (Incomplete hourly data)
1100: 6.6 feet @ 12 WNW (280 degrees-NPAC) and 0.0 @ 0.0 (000 degrees-SPAC)
1500: 6.5 feet @ 11 NW (315 degrees-NPAC) and 0.7 @ 9.0 SW (230 degrees-SPAC)
1600: 6.3 feet @ 11 NW (310 degrees-NPAC) and 1.1 @ 14.0 SSW (214 degrees-SPAC)
CDIP: Wave Face Heights (Incomplete hourly data)
1100: 3-6 feet
1500: 2-4 feet
1600: 2-4 feet
Buoy: NWS (Nearshore)
1300: 4.3 feet @ 12.5 WNW
1400: 4.9 feet @ 12.5 WNW
1500: 3.9 feet @ 12.5 WNW
1600: 4.3 feet @ 11.8 WNW

Expanding Horizons

Since this Fall/Winter season has not yet delivered any really powerful ground swells, the surf has been somewhat disappointing. So far, some forecaster type folks have concluded that the year to date has been less than average surf-wise. On a scale of 1-10, I've heard this Winter is forecast to be at 3.5. Fact is, we only had one real south swell this season (and it was a good one) and that could be an indicator from the southern hemi re what the NPAC will produce this Winter. Of course I hope the prognosticators are wrong, but so far they're pretty right on.

While the swells are just not pushing enough energy to wrap into town with any real power and size, the beaches north and south have been macking. It's really the in-between stuff I'm looking at, when the beaches are putting up some decent waist to chest high waves, and town is really pathetically small and crowded.

I put my expansion theory to the test this morning and got a couple hours of very nice, but somewhat mushy, crumbly peaks and walls at ManRay's. I gotta say it was very pretty this morning. Sunny and warm considering the 40 degree night time temps, with a consistent but very light southwest wind. It was a perfect day and set-up for me to get back to the beach breaks, which I used to surf all the time BSUP (Before Stand Up Paddleboard).

The transition from laydown surfboarding to SUPing has brought forth a few changes, not the least insignificant of which is paddling through breaking waves and white water. It's taken me a year to get halfway decent at it, and still, anything waist high and up, is dicey. I can punch through almost anything from knee high down, but above that and my odds get slimmer with the increasing size of the white water.

But today's peaks were generally soft, with quick, short walls that flattened out right into a channel. For the first hour I felt like I was at a reef break. Take-off, turn, charge the wall, cutback on the shoulder, kick out into the channel. Simple. After a while though, I got caught inside a couple times and that was much more anaerobic than aerobic, another change from the casual paddle back out to the peak at the reef or point break.

All in all I think this is going to work out well. I'll be spending more time surfing when town is weak, and getting a better workout too. Along with that, my skills should improve in areas that need more work (which is really ALL of them). Pics will be a bit harder to come by as there isn't as often a safe place to take them from my board. I'll have to figure that out as I go.
Nov 23, 2008 (Su)
In: 0945
Out: 1130
AT= 60F to 59F
WT= 54F
Wx: Sunny and clear with some light haze
Tide: 3.6' Falling to 1.7' (approx.)
Wind: Light southwesterlies
Sea Surface: Light wind chopped
10-2 Angulo SUP with Infinity Ottertail paddle
Fin set-up: Thruster with K2D2 4.75" center fin and Future FJC1
Bathymetry: Sand bottom

CDIP: Deep Water Swell (NOTE: CDIP is OOS)
CDIP: Wave Face Heights (NOTE: CDIP is OOS)

Buoy: NWS (Nearshore)
0900: 3.6 feet @ 11 WNW
1000: 3.0 feet @ 11.8 WNW
1100: 3.6 feet @ 11 WNW
1200: 2.6 feet @ 11.1 WNW

WNW - Waist to Chest

Picture perfect Fall weather and conditions, and a sweet little WNW wind swell too. Who could ask for more?

What a day! Paddled out into a line-up of three guys: me, Andy and a longboarder on a tight schedule. The tide was a wee bit high but dropping. Sets were a touch inconsistent but not bad. I knew it was going to get better and it did. John paddled out on his 10-10 Angulo SUP and the four of us surfed for the next hour in plenty of waves for everyone to get good rides. As the tide dropped, the waves gained in size and speed across the reef. With a lot of west in the swell, second bowl was working on select waves, making for a nice racy finish to the inside. The best waves put up clean but somewhat full walls into the nudie beach.

At 10 o'clock it went from four out, to 14 in about fifteen minutes. The pre-weekend warriors finally woke up, looked at their computers, said "Holy shizizit," and beat feet for the beach. They weren't disappointed. The surfing was fun and the weather was warm (almost hot in a good wetsuit) all day, even as the swell began it's descent around 2PM. Waves from this swell will hang in there for the next few days, albeit a lot smaller. Everybody went surfing and I saw a bunch of guys I hadn't seen in a while. Jamie, long back from Ireland; John Mel, back from the Islands after a well deserved vacation with his family (yep, his son is Peter); Calvin (aren't' you retired yet!?) my long time firefighting brother; Big John out on his 11'6" longboard (and they say my SUP is big at 10-2); Tim on his longboard (I'll get that pic to you) and Dave C. and his young son, who both picked up a couple bombs at Casa's.

Got some decent pics of the Angulo Boyz. Sam, Andy and John all out on their 2009 models. Rumor has it that a couple more board sizes and shapes are going to be added to the Angulo line for 2010. More on that when I learn more myself, but...can I pre-order the 9-8 now please! (And I haven't even mentioned the 10' Angulo Noserider available in custom epoxy and production in 2010.)
Nov 21, 2008 (F)
In: 0845
Out: 1130
AT= 55F to 58F
WT= 55F
Wx: Sunny
Tide: 3.4' Falling to 1.5'
Wind: Calm to light variable winds
Sea Surface: Glassy, with some roll
10-2 Angulo SUP with Infinity Ottertail paddle
Fin set-up: Thruster with K2D2 4.75" center fin and Future FJC1
Bathymetry: Rock reefs
CDIP: Deep Water Swell (NOTE: CDIP went out of service after 0600 hours)
0400: 11.8 feet @ 12 W (275 degrees-NPAC) and 0.0 @ 0.0 (000 degrees-SPAC)
0500: 12.1 feet @ 14 WNW (295 degrees-NPAC) and 0.0 @ 0.0 (000 degrees-SPAC)
0600: 11.2 feet @ 14 W (275 degrees-NPAC) and 0.0 @ 0.0 (000 degrees-SPAC)
CDIP: Wave Face Heights
0400: 4-8 feet
0500: 4-8 feet
0600: 4-8 feet

Paddle Redux

Michelle and I paddled out at Sarge's on a paddle redux from yesterday, except the weather was superbly Fall. Cooler air has replaced the upper layer, stopping the marine layer dead in it's tracks. The high clouds started to thin after we hit the pond like Pacific on initial entry, then the stratus stayed patchy for almost the entire session.

Ran into Mash, MikeyB and Andy on the paddle out. Even had a chance to get my Geek on by taking my pool thermometer out with me. I've been wanting to check the surf spot water temp vs. the nearshore buoy water temps. Verdict...about one degree difference between the two. I'd call the nearshore buoy accurate.

When we paddled out to the point and back there was not one soul in the water. The entire playing field, from Sarges to the point was empty of people. How cool is that? Lot's of sea life in the water: flights of pelicans; rafts of sea otters; random fowl everywhere. With the absence of cloud cover, the solar gain soon had us peeling down our wetsuits, enjoying the gentle heat of the morning sun.

Surf is super small, even smaller than yesterday, yielding no rides. I didn't try very hard though, spent most of my time admiring the day and chatting with Michelle. This is about her third or fourth time out so I moved her down to the 10-2 Angulo from the 10-10, which she had absolutely no trouble paddling. The board was made for her as she had it in perfect trim her whole ride. She preferred my ottertail Infinity paddle to the wider blade Kialoa Kole, as do I, and we both love the lightweight carbon fiber. Now it's time to put those extra quarters in the piggy bank and start saving for that board and paddle purchase that is sure to come down the road.
Nov 20, 2008 (Th)
In: 0835
Out: 0945
AT= 57F to 58F
WT= 55F
Wx: Sunny and partly cloudy
Tide: 3.2' Falling to 2.7' (approx.)
Wind: Calm to light variable winds
Sea Surface: Glassy, flat and smooth
10-2 Angulo SUP with Infinity Ottertail paddle
Fin set-up: Thruster with K2D2 4.75" center fin and Future FJC1
Bathymetry: Rock reefs
CDIP: Deep Water Swell
0800: 0.9 feet @ 9 NNW (330 degrees-NPAC) and 1.3 @ 12 S (180 degrees-SPAC)
0900: 1.4 feet @ 8 NW (315 degrees-NPAC) and 1.1 @ 12 SSW (210 degrees-SPAC)
1100: 1.9 feet @ 17 WNW (300 degrees-NPAC) and 1.2 @ 12 S (175 degrees-SPAC)
1100: 2.3 feet @ 17 NW (310 degrees-NPAC) and 1.2 @ 14 S (185 degrees-SPAC)
CDIP: Wave Face Heights
0800: 1-2 feet
0900: 1-2 feet
1000: 1-2 feet
1100: 1-2 feet

Re-entry Paddle Day

Mike and I had a nice paddle from Chapeauville to the point and back. Cool temps this morning punctuated with overcast skies and the return of Fall weather.

It felt good to get back in the water, and my rib didn't bother me until about 3/4's of the way back from the paddle. But I'd chased down a couple waves at the point, fell off once and had a pretty good rehab intro back into SUPing for only a week off. Tomorrow a paddle with Michelle if she's up for it, then maybe some waves on Friday.

The "kelp cutter" was in the water, close to the point too. So Mike and I paddled out to it, and had a little chat with the workers on the boat. They were gathering "food" for the commercial ab farms north of town. The kelp is so thick this year I wish there were 50 boats working the kelp beds for the next week. That might put a minor dent in the vegetation. Scimi's and Gdubs are simply overrun with the salty sea garden perennial. There is nothing to indicate that the beds will be thinned in the near future unless we get back to back very large storms and/or swells. And that looks remote for the near future and unlikely for the season if the long range forecasts are at all accurate. Let's hope that changes.
Nov 19, 2008 (W)
In: 0845
Out: 1045
AT= 49F to 50F
WT= 55F
Wx: High overcast
Tide: 3' Falling slightly and then back up to 3'
Wind: Calm to light northeasterlies
Sea Surface: Mostly glassy in the kelp
10-2 Angulo SUP with Infinity Ottertail paddle
Fin set-up: Thruster with K2D2 4.75" center fin and Future FJC1
Bathymetry: Rock reefs
CDIP: Deep Water Swell
0800: 2.7 feet @ 10 WNW (305 degrees-NPAC) and .9 @ 14 S (190 degrees-SPAC)
0900: 2.9 feet @ 10 NW (320 degrees-NPAC) and 1.1 @ 12 S (180 degrees-SPAC)
1000: 2.7 feet @ 9 NW (315 degrees-NPAC) and 1.1 @ 14 S (170 degrees-SPAC)
1100: 3.1 feet @ 10 WNW (310 degrees-NPAC) and 1.3 @ 14 S (175 degrees-SPAC)
CDIP: Wave Face Heights
0800: 1-2 feet
0900: 1-2 feet
1000: 1-1 feet
1100: 1-2 feet

Resting the Rib - PM

Decided to make a quick trip south to check out the new Vibram Five Fingers "booties." Stopped at Lichen Landing to check it after spotting lines from two miles away. Nick and Taylor were just walking up the dunes as I arrived. Said the sand bars were better earlier, at the higher tides. Hard offshores and record breaking temps for November. Had to settle for these...

Resting the Rib - AM

Couldn't resist getting up early and taking in the sunrise sites. Rib is on the mend, at least it's not broke.

Moderate Size WNW Swell Brings Fun Waves

Paddled out at Sarge's intending to work my way down to YH as the tide lowered. Sam and John paddled out with me on their Angulos. We surfed the reefs from Casa to Sarge's. Rights were sectioning off the peaks with some long rides mixed in. A couple of the nicer lines linked from Casa in to Sarge's. Waves were small to moderate in size, in the knee to chest range. Kelp was voracious and the waves were steep and fast. Couldn't have purchased better Fall weather.

(Earlier in the day I snapped some pics at the point. Swell was bigger and the high tide was at 6 feet plus. All spots were swamped except the first two breaks at the point, the most exposed landmark.)

Sam wised up first and paddled down to YH. We followed and started a two hour session that peaked with some very nice sets and long, speedy walls about an hour into the session. The Boyz paddled in before me. I stayed out for a few more waist high peelers and the intensely beautiful sunset.

I managed to take a shot to the rib cage on one inside out, small inside section that sent the 10-2's rail directly into my left side. Came up out of the water unable to breath for a few seconds. First thing was to take a deep breath and test the ribs...not broken or fractured, maybe a light bruise. Good. Paddled back out to test everything else, it all worked but a little painful mid-back where the rib joins the spine. I can live with it. Surfed the rest of the session and caught some good ones. Took one more shot when I caught my outside rail on a very late takeoff. Maybe I should have saved that one? Nah!

Sold my Freeline 7-6 and the JC460's went with it. Bought and installed Future JC1's as a replacement. They worked great. Moved the K2D2 up an inch and a half in the center fin box. All is well, no spin outs and the small waves were steep too. At 24 pounds, the Angulo 10-2 with the current fin set-up, continues to be a very maneuverable board for someone in my weight class (145-150 pounds). Next year Ed will come out with a shorter board which I think will be even lighter, and more performance oriented than the 10-2 for us smaller guys.
Nov 12, 2008 (W)
In: 1325
Out: 1715
AT= 60F to 57F
WT= 56F
Wx: Clear and sunny with a few high clouds
Tide: .34' Falling to -1.18', then rising to -0.2
Wind: Calm to light SW-WSW
Sea Surface: Mostly glassy in the kelp
10-2 Angulo SUP with Infinity Ottertail paddle
Fin set-up: Thruster with K2D2 4.75" center fin and Future FJC1
Bathymetry: Rock reefs
CDIP: Deep Water Swell
1300: 9.6 feet @ 12 WNW (300 degrees-NPAC) and 1.3 @ 17 SSW (205 degrees-SPAC)
1400: 9.8 feet @ 12 WNW (300 degrees-NPAC) and .6 @ 20 SW (220 degrees-SPAC)
1500: 9.3 feet @ 12 NW (310 degrees-NPAC) and .9 @ 17 S (175 degrees-SPAC)
1600: no data
1700: 9.9 feet @ 11 WNW (305 degrees-NPAC) and 1.7 @ 17 SSW (195 degrees-SPAC)
CDIP: Wave Face Heights
1300: 2-6 feet
1400: 2-6 feet
1500: 2-6 feet
1600: no data
1700: 2-6 feet