Dolphins

Thanks to Jeff for this one.

NW Wind Swell with Wind Chop on Top

The nearshore wind swell was 7-8 ft. at 10 seconds. By the time I paddled out at 1130, there was a light southwest wind which was making the tops crumble. Wave faces were 3-5 ft. with lots of wind chop on top. The shore pound was relentless and the side current had to be running 10-15 mph. I looked for a long time before paddling out at CG's 'cause I couldn't see any workable corners. Everything looked like it was just folding over, or sectioning after a short ride. I finally found a peak that had a shoulder, and that was worth the 10 minutes of wading and paddling through the shore pound to get to. I had the new RFC Speedwings demo fins in and I really wanted to give 'em a go.

In forty-five minutes I got three waves, but they were good ones, and gave me a chance to see how the Speedwings performed. The fins work amazingly well, and as advertised. It was impossible to take the smaller waves in the set because you'd just get caught inside, so I had to wait for the biggest waves in the sets that were actually putting up shoulders. About every third set produced some decent waves. Take-offs were fat and slopey, then the wave, by shear volume of water, quickly developed into sections of speed walls whose tops would pitch forward slightly before crumbling. There was enough room to surf under and around the crumbles before banking off the top and finding the next section. All three waves were surfed into the beach which surprised me. The Speedwings in fact did provide drive and speed, along with a secure feeling that they were biting in and moving out without hesitation. There was a lot of bump on the wave faces, and the board and fins handled it well. I matched the Speedwings with a Future Eric Arakawa 450 composite center fin so I would have three equal size fins. Overall I really like the feel and performance of the Speedwings and I'm going to buy a set. I'm also looking forward to trying them in my Angulo SUP.

After my second wave I just got out and walked back up the beach, and past the take off spot so that I would be fairly close to it when I paddled back out again. Sure enough, the side current carried me out and past the take-off and I had to paddle back up to it for my last ride, which was another 75-yarder which took me almost to Dream House. The wind was starting to increase and I'd found out what I needed to know. I called it a day and was happy with three solid rides and a new set of fins.

Pics are after the sesh at another location not far upcoast. It was a bit smaller up there.

June 22, 2009 (M)

In: 1130
Out: 1215
AT= 60F
WT= 56.5
Wx: Sunny
Tide: 4.0' Rising
Wind: Light southwesterlies
Sea Surface: Lot's of wind chop but no whitecaps
6-10 Ward Coffey EPS (Marko Styrolite)/Epoxy Custom

Fin set-up: Thruster with RFC Speedwings and Future Eric Arakawa 450 center
Bathymetry: Sand bars
Deep Water Swell and Wave Face Heights CDIP Archive
Buoy: NWS (Farshore*)
Time NDBC Data CDIP Data
1000: 8.2 feet @ 9.1 NW (305) (1-3 ft. wave faces)
1100: 7.9 feet @ 10 NW (310) (1-3 ft. wave faces)
1200: 6.9 feet @ 10 NW (305) (1-3 ft. wave faces)
1300: 6.6 feet @ 10 NW (295) (1-3 ft. wave faces)
1400: 6.2 feet @ 9.1 NW (300) (1-3 ft. wave faces)

Chilean/SW Swells - SUP Session

I got home from the morning session, threw all my stuff into the bathtub, rinsed it good and jumped on the computer. My morning observations were confirmed. This swell was intensifying, and there was no guarantee it would last. 1100 hours was low tide. The midday session would be low tide rising into an increasing swell. What was there to wait for?

My back wasn't going to hold up for another shortboard session, so the SUP got the call. I stretched and warmed up on the beach with John from Freeline, who was heading out on his Laird 12-footer. We paddled out at 1130 into an eight wave set of 2-3 ft. whitewater. Welcome to Sarges.

It was still wally and there were some bombs coming though. None of 'em that I could see, or rode, were makeable. I headed over to Middies as I knew that would be a good and fast (albeit short) ride while we waited for the tide to rise. Paul and his son Will were on it, and taking down a few speedy lines. As the tide came up GDubs, which was crowded with shorties, kept getting better and better...it was getting freaking epic.

I kept my eye on Sarges and Yellow House. YH needs a low tide, and I thought it was finished. I was so wrong! Surftech John paddled out on the new Surftech Jerry Lopez model, and proceeded to rip. Finally, I paddled down to the Yellow House and surfed with Dave and Max for the remainder of the three hour session. Waves and sets were uncharacteristically consistent. Most of the time it was a merry-go-round. I hooked into a number of doubles and triples that had me kicking out past Dick's.

The wind came up pretty strong out of the southwest and that didn't help the fatigue factor any. Finally, I had to call it quits, I was getting too tired to control my board on easy maneuvers that would have been a piece of cake had I been fresh.

What a great session...what a great swell!

Note: Pic is not very representative of the session. I took it way after I got out. I'm not sure what the brown smudges are...I guess I should clean the lenses.
June 16, 2009 (Tu) SUP Session

In: 1130
Out: 1430
AT= 63.5F
WT= 58.5F
Wx: Mostly sunny to start with high cloud cover later.
Tide: 1.4 Rising to 3.2
Wind: Light to moderate south westerlies
Sea Surface: Light wind ripples to moderate wind chop later
10-0 Angulo EPS/Epoxy Custom SUP with Infinity Ottertail carbon fiber paddle

Fin set-up: Thruster with K2D2 4.75" center fin (fourth mark up from back) and Future Fiberglass YU (actual fin not shown)
Bathymetry: Rock reefs
Deep Water Swell and Wave Face Heights CDIP Archive
Buoy: NWS (Farshore)
Time NDBC Data CDIP Data
1100: 4.6 feet @ 14.8 S (200) (3-5 ft. wave faces)
1200: 4.6 feet @ 16 S (220) (3-5 ft. wave faces)
1300: 4.9 feet @ 14.8 SSE (175) (3-5 ft. wave faces)
1400: 4.3 feet @ 14.8 SSE (190) (2-4 ft. wave faces)
1500: 4.3 feet @ 14.8 S (180) (3-4 ft. wave faces)
1600: 4.3 feet @ 14.8 S (185) (2-4 ft. wave faces)

Chilean/SW Swells - Shortboard Session

I knew there would be fresh swell in the water today, but I wasn't prepared for how INSANELY good it was. Paddled out on the 6-10 at 0555 at GDubs. Five guys on the main peak, all good surfers. Of the dozen or so waves I got this morning, I count myself fortunate to have taken down three fast, long lines in the first hour, especially considering that all the waves weren't lining up all that well. Better than any of the previous south swell we've gotten, but as the tide receded the tendency was for more, rather than less walliness.

Paul was out on his new Haut...super nice performance longboard twinzer with channels out the tail. Fast. It will be a perfect big wave winter board, and it works good in these fast zippers too.

My back started complaining after about an hour and a half so I headed up coast a couple peaks and took one in. Best waves of the June south swells so far for me.

After the surf, Glen, owner of Rainbow Fin Co. and I chatted about fins. RFC has a new one they've designed based upon the "winglets" used in the aerospace industry. They call them the Speedwing Fins and Glen says they create lift, speed and drive. He said to head on over to Freeline 'cause they've got a set of demos I could try. I picked 'em up about 15 minutes later. I'll slap 'em into the fin slots tonight and try them tomorrow morning....body willing of course.

Meanwhile, the swell appeared to be building.

June 16, 2009 (Tu)

In: 0555
Out: 0740
AT= 58F
WT= 58.5
Wx: Partly cloudy
Tide: 2.91' Falling to 2.38' Rising
Wind: Calm to light offshore
Sea Surface: Glassy to Light wind ripples
6-10 Ward Coffey EPS (Marko Styrolite)/Epoxy Custom

Fin set-up: Thruster with Future Fins AM1 and Future 350 sidebites
Bathymetry: Sand bars
Deep Water Swell and Wave Face Heights CDIP Archive
Buoy: NWS (Farshore*)
Time NDBC Data CDIP Data
0500: 4.6 feet @ 16 SSE (180) (2-4 ft. wave faces)
0600: 3.9 feet @ 16 SSE (180) (2-4 ft. wave faces)
0700: 3.9 feet @ 16 S (175) (2-4 ft. wave faces)
0800: 4.6 feet @ 16 S (190) (2-4 ft. wave faces)
0900: 3.9 feet @ 16 S (205) (3-5 ft. wave faces)
1000: 4.3 feet @ 16 S (210) (4-6 ft. wave faces)

SPAC Swell 3S & The Jay Race

At 0545 this morning there were 12 people out at GDubs. And it wasn't that good. Even with the higher tide, the shoulder/head high walls were sectioning. There weren't many corners, in fact, none that I saw. So I finished my warm-ups and walked down to look at Roots, which I didn't think would be working because of the tide. But it was. I surfed for a half hour by myself before a couple other guys on chips came out. Surfed for an hour and it was fun but my back tightened up on me so I got out and headed over to the Jay Race site.

At 0730 things were well underway at the race location. Gunnar and crew did a top quality job this year and from looking at the surface it ran like a well oiled machine. This due to all the hard work that Gunnar and his volunteers put into the race. Neil from the local paper was there to cover the event, and the sponsors (especially Surftech) will put up a classy website with pictures and the results. Everyone had a great time, the race was fun and competitive, the food was great, the raffle prizes high quality and the speakers were particularly inspiring. Each spoke briefly but to the heart of the matter. Jay didn't live long, but he lived a full and fulfilling life. He cared about people and set high goals that he was determined to accomplish. The message is that we can, and should do the same. Therefore...Live Like Jay. I'm for that.
(To view the slideshow click HERE.)

I paddled in the two-mile race on my custom Angulo eps SUP and finished in a blistering time of 45 minutes, which was very cool because it gave me a chance to paddle up coast to a seldom breaking bombora which was clocking over the reef in pretty consistent fashion. I surfed this little piece of ocean for about an hour and a half before heading back to the race site for some of the delicious grinds they were serving up.

Overall, a day like today is hard to beat. Shortboarding in the wee early hours, running the race at the midpoint, and finishing up with a fun SUP surf in the early afternoon. Cheers! I know Jay would have been proud.
June 13, 2009 (Sa) - Shortboard Session

In: 0545
Out: 0645
AT= 59F
WT= 58F
Wx: Light but wet drizzle with low cloud cover
Tide: 1.82' Falling to .93'
Wind: Calm
Sea Surface: Glassy with light sea surface rolls
6-10 Ward Coffey EPS (Marko Styrolite)/Epoxy Custom

Fin set-up: Thruster with Future Fins AM1 and Future 350 sidebites
Bathymetry: Sand bars
Deep Water Swell and Wave Face Heights CDIP Archive
Buoy: NWS (Farshore*)
0500: 3.3 feet @ 16 SSW (205) (3-4 ft. wave faces)
0600: 3.3 feet @ 17.4 S (205) (3-4 ft. wave faces)
0700: 3.6 feet @ 16 S (205) (3-4 ft. wave faces)
0800: 3.3 feet @ 16 SSW (215) (3-5 ft. wave faces)
0900: 3.3 feet @ 16 SSW (205) (2-4 ft. wave faces)
1000: 3.6 feet @ 16 SSW (195) (2-3 ft. wave faces)
1100: 3.3 feet @ 16 SSW (195) (2-3 ft. wave faces)
1200: 3.6 feet @ 16 SSW (205) (2-4 ft. wave faces)
1300: 3.3 feet @ 16 SSW (190) (2-4 ft. wave faces)

June 13, 2009 (Sa) SUP Session

In: 0945
Out: 1115
AT= 65F
WT= 59F
Wx: Partly cloudy with occassional sun. Gray rain clouds in the distance.
Tide: .76 Rising to 1.59
Wind: Light southerly
Sea Surface: Glassy in the kelp with a small wind chop late
10-0 Angulo EPS/Epoxy Custom SUP with Infinity Ottertail carbon fiber paddle

Fin set-up: Thruster with K2D2 4.75" center fin (fourth mark up from back) and Future Fiberglass YU (actual fin not shown)
Bathymetry: Rock reefs
Deep Water Swell and Wave Face Heights CDIP Archive
Buoy: NWS (CDIP Only)
See shortboard session.

NZ Gale Swell - Day 2

Loaded both boards into and on the vehicle this morning. Surf check at Sarges in the near dark showed smaller lines than yesterday. Not a real surprise as I think this swell made landfall about twelve hours earlier than forecast. Cool, I'll surf the Coffey 6-10 at Roots. Wrong.

The swell wasn't pushing into Roots as well as I had hoped. It was breaking too near to shore, the tide was super low again and Scimi's on down looked OK. I headed out to GDubs at 0550. Kelp was unbelievably thick. The rides were short as this swell was even more wally than the last one. Take-off, one bottom turn, one top turn, close out. I did that for a while before paddling down to Sarges to check it out, stopping at Middles on the way. But, the story was the same. There were some slideable corners coming through but they were in the vast minority. So I paddled back up to GDubs.

Things seemed to improve a bit...two bottom turns, two top turns, close-out. I caught a few good ones and the crowd was friendly and light. Finally I just got tired of fighting the kelp. Paddling through it was more like crawling over the top of it. Scimi's second bowl was seeing some nice lines with only one guy surfing, so I headed there. A giant lull set in and I got only one wave. I rode that to the beach and walked down to Roots which had picked up. The best waves were putting up a nice peak with a little barrel section that was (for me) impossible to make. But there were still a bunch of fun waves to be had.

Alex was out on his longboard, surfing a peak up from Roots. He was putting on a backside, pig dogging clinic, driving his longboard into the first barrel section and getting completely covered, pop out and into the second barrel which I never saw him make. He would just power into the barrel and get slammed. He must have had more water in his sinus than Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. Still, really a pleasure to watch him ride...smooth, flexible and stylish.

June 11, 2009 (Th)

In: 0550
Out: 0815
AT= 53F
WT= Not available
Wx: Partly cloudy to full cloud cover
Tide: 0.28' Falling to -0.44' Rising
Wind: Calm to light south westerlies
Sea Surface: Glassy to Light wind ripples
6-10 Ward Coffey EPS (Marko Styrolite)/Epoxy Custom

Fin set-up: Thruster with Future Fins AM1 and Future 350 sidebites
Bathymetry: Sand bars
Deep Water Swell and Wave Face Heights CDIP Archive
Buoy: NWS (Farshore*)
0500: 3.0 feet @ 16 SSW (215) (2-3 ft. wave faces)
0600: 3.0 feet @ 16 SSW (220) (2-3 ft. wave faces)
0700: 3.3 feet @ 16 SSW (215) (2-3 ft. wave faces)
0800: 3.0 feet @ 16 SSW (205) (2-3 ft. wave faces)
0900: 3.0 feet @ 16 SSW (205) (3-4 ft. wave faces)
1000: 3.6 feet @ 16 SSW (215) (2-4 ft. wave faces)
1100: 3.0 feet @ 16 SSW (215) (2-3 ft. wave faces)

Surprise! NZ Gale Swell - Day One

Surprise...the NZ swell forecast for tomorrow arrived early. I slept in but as I soon as I saw the data and webcam shots I collected my stuff and headed to the beach. Arrived on scene around 0800 and was paddling out at 0817.

Surfed Roots again, mostly by myself or with a couple others. The wind was on it early which pulled some of the quality out of the morning. There were lulls and multi-wave sets, just like the last south a couple days ago. Tres 8's was good but wally. Only a handful of people surfing this morning...people weren't on it 'cause all the forecasters missed it by a day (which was really the fault of Wave Watch 3 model).

Bumped into Glen in the parking lot, hadn't seen him in an age. At 62 he looks better than the last time I saw him, almost a year ago. Slight, thin and athletic he was going to surf his 5-6 mini-Simmons displacement hull, or his 6-0 twinny. He went with the Simmons. Not a lot of 62 year old guys (I mean people) who can surf six foot or sub-six foot shortboards. I wanna be like him when I grow up.

June 10, 2009 (W)

In: 0817
Out: 1015
AT= 57F
WT= 58F
Wx: Partly cloudy
Tide: -0.28' Rising to 1.2'
Wind: Steady light to moderate south westerlies
Sea Surface: Light to moderate wind chop
6-10 Ward Coffey EPS (Marko Styrolite)/Epoxy Custom

Fin set-up: Thruster with Future Fins AM1 and Future 350 sidebites
Bathymetry: Sand bars
Deep Water Swell and Wave Face Heights CDIP Archive
Buoy: NWS (Farshore*)
0700: 3.0 feet @ 17.4 SW (210) (2-3 ft. wave faces)
0800: 3.0 feet @ 17.4 SSW (210) (2-3 ft. wave faces)
0900: 3.3 feet @ 17.4 SSW (210) (3-4 ft. wave faces)
1000: 3.3 feet @ 17.4 SW (210) (3-4 ft. wave faces)
1100: 3.0 feet @ 14.8 SSW (205) (2-3 ft. wave faces)

South Swell 2S - Day 4 Road Trip Remnants

Pics and some video coming later...when I figure out how to edit VOB files. But for now, I'm gone surfin'.

Andy, Dave and I loaded up Andy's truck for the drive south as invited guests to the secret spots for a day of surfing with Ricky and his family. We were outta here by 0530 and arrived at the spot by 10AM. Off loaded everything and were paddling out by 1100. A light side shore breeze was in charge, blowing in from the point, miles away from our current secret spots.

The crew opted to paddle up coast a half mile to the section of reef they wanted to surf, and I said I would catch up...it always takes me the longest to get going, mainly because they're all board shortin' it, and I'm in my usual layers of wetsuit and clothes. Even though the water temp at the spots is right at 60F, I'm still in my 4/3 and geeked out surf hat...no sun on my funny forehead bumps and blemishes please.

I got down to the beach just as Dave picked up a nice little peak at Spot One. It was a short ride that started with a steep drop off a peak that just jumps up from practically nothing. On a small day like today the take off is everything and it's best when you can pick up a double peak and right through the second peak by backdooring it via the first peak. Those were a little tricky to find, and to time, and today it wasn't breaking like clockwork. Peaks were moving around over the reef, some coming in one peak at a time, others (the best ones) coming in two peaks at a time. Sometimes you'd think you were right in the zone only to have the peak move away from you, driving in to the beach in a horseshoe shape before throwing out over the inside reef instead of the outside reef where I was located.

After the steep and fun drop you'd have time for one giant cuttie back into the foam and then a gentle, sloping shoulder that flattened out into a deep channel off the side of the rock reef. I surfed there for two hours before the wind came up and literally drove me into the beach.

I brought both boards but only surfed the SUP. I was just having too much fun on it in the small waves. The Angulo custom SUP surfs like a performance longboard, and these were definitely longboard waves today. But one thing about SUP and wind is that your body is a sail, so when the wind comes up, you do a lot of exercising just to stay in one spot. You get tired out fast if you have to paddle into a brisk headwind just to get back into the line-up.

I knew I wasn't going to be able to paddle almost a mile up coast to where everyone else was surfing, not in the headwind that was in my face. So I thought I'd walk up there with my board. Not a chance. I was barely able to carry my board back to the truck without the wind picking me and my board up and throwing me off the side of the uphill dirt road to the park. So I put my board in the car and jogged down to the crew, just in time for sandwiches and drinks.

The wind really was in control. It was howling and the surf was blown out, the sea surface full of white caps and the fine sand lifting through the air making for some crunchy bites out of the chicken sandwiches. But the good news in all this was the fun and fast downwind paddle when we headed back to the put-in spot. Five of us grabbed SUPs and made the leisurely mile paddle in about ten minutes. Once we got back to Spot One, we kept going, down one more spot to secret Spot #2. Here we found the best SUP surfing of the day.

By now it was about two o'clock and the wind was still on it. But the spot is a true gem and was putting up fast, barreling rights into a shallow, flat reef that was full of fish and other critters. Around 4:30P it went dead glassy, everyone had come it, so Dave, Andy and I hit it for one last session. Waves were smooth and fast with pitching little lips that were waist to chest high. We got it like this for about 20 minutes before that pesky sideshore/onshore wind blew back in, and by 5 o'clock it was blowing whitecaps in the line-up. Andy said he was done and headed upwind back to the truck. Dave and I were having too much fun to quit so we hung out and rode some more. Then the wind started to die, and it went glassy again to brisk offshore in about ten minutes. We surfed by ourselves in perfect little peelers for the next hour and a half. I don't know if I've ever surfed a more perfect wave of that size anywhere. The only thing that could have made it better would have been a longer wall to ride.

I surfed for a total of six and a half hours at two spots for three sessions. We were all beat and moving slow. We headed back home around eight and I was unpacked and asleep by midnight and thirty. Yeah, I'm ready for the next road trip to the secret spots.....starting next week.

June 8, 2009 (M)

In: 1100
Out: 1900
AT= Mid-60'sF
WT= 60F
Wx: Cloud cover on and off, ending with a clear and sunny late afternoon/evening
Tide: It went out, it came up and it went out again
Wind: Mild to strong offshore/sideshore to calm to offshore
Sea Surface: Glassy to light wind ripples to white caps in the line-up and back again
10-0 Angulo EPS/Epoxy Custom SUP with Infinity Ottertail carbon fiber paddle

Fin set-up: Thruster with K2D2 4.75" center fin (fourth mark up from back) and Future Fiberglass YU (actual fin not shown)
Bathymetry: Rock reefs
Deep Water Swell and Wave Face Heights CDIP Archive
Buoy: NWS (CDIP Only)
1000: 2.5 feet @ 14 185 degrees (2 - 3 ft. faces)
1100: 2.5 feet @ 14 190 degrees (1 - 3 ft. faces)
1200: 2.5 feet @ 14 175 degrees (1 - 3 ft. faces)
1300: 2.8 feet @ 14 180 degrees (2 - 3 ft. faces)
1400: 2.6 feet @ 14 175 degrees (1 - 3 ft. faces)
1500: 2.4 feet @ 14 185 degrees (1 - 3 ft. faces)
1600: 2.5 feet @ 14 175 degrees (1 - 3 ft. faces)
1700: 2.9 feet @ 14 190 degrees (2 - 4 ft. faces)
1800: 2.6 feet @ 14 200 degrees (2 - 3 ft. faces)
1900: 2.4 feet @ 14 200 degrees (2 - 3 ft. faces)
2000: 2.5 feet @ 14 195 degrees (2 - 3 ft. faces)

South Swell 2S - Day 3 (Fading)

Andy and I paddled out on our SUPs with the usual suspects at Sarges on the dawn patrol. Tide was ultra low and most of Sarges up through GDubs was unsurfable. So we headed down to the yellow house to see what we could get. Not much really. The tide was minus and still dropping. After a half hour or so we headed up coast a little, looking for some peaks on the in between reefs. Now the tide was turning around and we got two multi-wave sets back to back in about 15 minutes, giving us some fast, short walls to slide before the shallows closed 'em out. Turn hard off the bottom, get in a couple quick turns and float off the collapsing lip into the white water below. Definitely not as good as the last two days, but fun none the less. Also good to get back on the SUP and dust off some of the rust in preparation for the trip down south tomorrow. It's been a month since I last really surfed the SUP.

Met Mike on the beach after the session, he was getting ready to paddle out on his boogie board with his Nikon and one of the water proof camera housings his company makes. Had a great discussion about taking water shots in general. Very knowledgable guy. His website can be found at Surfing Housings.

Andy and I headed into Chapeauville for grinds after an almost two-hour session, and cruised the car show on foot after that. What a great morning. Beautiful, clear sunrise and a mild morning beachside breezes while we chowed down on healthy servings of heuvos rancheros and coffee at the eatery. Feels good to be alive.

42 years ago today I was inducted into the United State Army. Never had to serve in 'Nam and I'm sure glad for that.
June 7, 2009 (Su)

In: 0534
Out: 0715
AT= 49F
WT= 56F
Wx: Mostly clear with a full moon plainly visible last night and early this morning
Tide: -0.9' Rising to 0.1'
Wind: Light offshores
Sea Surface: Glassy to light wind ripples
10-0 Angulo EPS/Epoxy Custom SUP with Infinity Ottertail carbon fiber paddle

Fin set-up: Thruster with K2D2 4.75" center fin (fourth mark up from back) and Future Fiberglass YU (actual fin not shown)
Bathymetry: Rock reefs
Deep Water Swell and Wave Face Heights CDIP Archive
Buoy: NWS (Farshore)
0500: 3.3 feet @ 14.8 SSW (2 - 3 ft. faces)
0600: 3.3 feet @ 14.8 SSW (1 - 3 ft. faces)
0700: 3.3 feet @ 14.8 S (1 - 3 ft. faces)
0800: 3.6 feet @ 13.8 S (2 - 3 ft. faces)
0900: 3.3 feet @ 14.8 S (2 - 3 ft. faces)

South Swell 2S - Day 2

OK, so 0515 is just a bit too early to see, but 0525 isn't. Me and Andy paddled out at Roots looking for some more of this delicious south swell, and although it was starting to drop, we weren't disappointed with today's waves.

The set-up was the same but the tide was a little lower, waves a bit smaller, a little less consistent in that there were fewer big multi-wave sets and it was a whole lot more crowded. But that's the way it is on a weekend especially when word is out about the swell, there's a big surf contest at Scimi's and a major car show in Chapeauville.

We did get it for about 20 minutes alone before the crowd started drifting out. Tres 8's was crowded from the gitgo...I counted at least a dozen peeps on the horizon in the gloomy pre-dawn light. Surf overall was about the same except it was tending to close out a bit more. Again the south swell was wally, but every once in a while a series of sections would hook up giving the rider one sweet and fast ride. Most riders driving into the pockets weren't coming out. One booming set of 8-10 waves just put up overhead bombs that closed out all the way across the pocket beach. The cool thing was that after that set everyone moved too far upcoast, leaving me alone to pick off three or four smaller waves at the peak before returning to a more productive takeoff spot.

I pulled the rear set of quads and put the tri center fin back in to remake the Coffey 6-10 back into a thruster. (I love the fin slot inserts Ward provided. They make for a nice tail section bottom that the water can flow over smoothly and without turbulence or interruption.) It surfed loose and easy off the tail making bottom turns and turnbacks off the wall smooth and quick. As a quad, the board surfs best rail to rail, while as a thruster the board pivots more effortlessly off the tail. The more fin slots the better. It feels like different fin configurations give you multiple boards all rolled up into one.

June 6, 2009 (Sa)

In: 0525
Out: 0715
AT= 50-55F
WT= 56F
Wx: Partly cloudy
Tide: -.4' Rising to .7'
Wind: Steady light offshores
Sea Surface: Glassy to light wind chop
6-10 Ward Coffey EPS (Marko Styrolite)/Epoxy Custom

Fin set-up: Thruster with Future Fins AM1 and Future 350 sidebites
Bathymetry: Sand bars
Deep Water Swell and Wave Face Heights CDIP Archive
Buoy: NWS (Farshore*)
0400: 3.9 feet @ 16 SSW (1-3 ft. wave faces)
0500: 4.3 feet @ 16 S (1-3 ft. wave faces)
0600: 3.6 feet @ 16 SSW (1-3 ft. wave faces)
0700: 3.9 feet @ 16 S (1-3 ft. wave faces)
0800: 3.9 feet @ 16 SSW (1-3 ft. wave faces)
0900: 3.9 feet @ 16 S (1-3 ft. wave faces)
1000: 3.6 feet @ 14.8 S (1-3 ft. wave faces)

South Swell 2S Fills In

Finally! After almost a month of waiting for a genuine ground swell, and nearly a year since the last genuine south ground swell, we got some SPAC waves. It's been so long since we got any decent waves to ride that everyone was in a great mood, jubilant even. The vibe in the water was super positive and everyone was stoked. Too bad we don't see that more often. Whatever...I am NOT complaining.

The first pulse of 17 second swell hit the reefs a little after 4AM. I paddled out to one of my favorite low tide spots at 0536 on the Coffey 6-10. I was late. I got held up at home taking a dump. I'm gonna have to retrain my colon since it's been so long that I've been up and at 'em this early. Even my old eyes can see in the line-up at 0515. I'll aim for that tomorrow.

Surfed up coast of my usual SUP spots and it was good and fun. Roots is a minus tide place and it just stops working in around one foot of tide. It's a quirky place and the takeoff zone is all over the place. It's best when you can back door the second peak, but that happens only every once in a while depending on wave size and direction. The Coffey shaped 6-10 is a perfect board for Roots. Not only because it paddles so well, but with the shortboard rocker and bottom config, the board fits into the contour of the wave so it moves out fast without hanging up in the face. At this spot, the take off starts out very soft until the wave hits the underwater rock reef. Then it jumps, throwing you forward into a pretty square trough and vertical face. This is probably the best part of the ride unless you can backdoor that second peak. When it's right, this is a tube riding section. Then it either closes out on you, or puts up a relatively mushy but bankable wall that you can ride into the shory. I've always like this wave even though it doesn't break very often.

I surfed for two hours, got a lot of waves, and learned even more about the 6-10 surfed as a quad. I was out for an hour by myself before anyone else showed up. Granted, most people were paddling up coast, right past me, because Tres 8's was going off nicely. Overall, this was the better wave, with Scimi's coming in a close second, or trading off as the premier surf location today. Usually south swells are pretty wally, and this swell was no exception. Tres 8's was a race track on the right waves. Mostly a longboard place, the shortboarders, while in the minority, were taking down some long, and fast rides. There was the occasional tube but the low tide peelers were too fast to make all the sections when I was out. I didn't see anyone consistently making the tube sections. Kirk of L41 Surfboards was one of the shortboarders this morning, surfing in his standard exceptional style...definitely one of the best surfers in "Surf City," and one of the most enjoyable to watch ever.

This was the first morning since May 17th that we haven't had solid overcast with fog, and there was a light NE breeze throwing foam off the wave tops. A first rate surfing day...for sure!

June 5, 2009 (F)

In: 0536
Out: 0730
AT= 54-56F
WT= 54.7-54.9F
Wx: Partly cloudy with broken cloud cover
Tide: -0.9' Rising to 1.4'
Wind: Light NE offshores to light to moderate south easterlies
Sea Surface: Glassy to light wind ripples late
6-10 Ward Coffey EPS (Marko Styrolite)/Epoxy Custom

Fin set-up: Thruster/Quad with Future Fins AM1 and Future 350 sidebite quad set-up.
Bathymetry: Sand bars
Deep Water Swell and Wave Face Heights CDIP Archive
Buoy: NWS (Farshore*)
0400: 3.3 feet @ 13.8 SSW
0500: 3.0 feet @ 17.4 SSW (3-4 ft. wave faces)
0600: 3.3 feet @ 17.4 SSW
0700: 3.3 feet @ 17.4 SSW (3-5 ft. wave faces)
0800: 3.6 feet @ 17.4 SSW
0900: 3.9 feet @ 17.4 SSW (3-5 ft. wave faces)
1000: 3.6 feet @ 17.4 SSW
1100: 3.6 feet @ 17.4 SSW
NOTE: For south swell, the farshore buoy is more accurate than the nearshore buoy. The opposite is true for North through West swells.

Jace Race 2009 Set For June 13

Santa Cruz, Calif. (June 4, 2009) – Mark your race calendar for June 13, 2009 when the 8th Annual Surftech Jay Moriarity Memorial Paddleboard Race presented by CLIF BAR will hit the water. Paddleboarders and stand up paddlers from up and down the coast of California and as far away as Florida and Hawaii will converge on New Brighton Beach in Santa Cruz, California to compete for the coveted “Jay Race” title.

The “Jay Race” is widely recognized as one of the top paddleboard races in North America. The best paddlers in the country come here to brave the chilly waters of the Monterey Bay. They come to test their paddling skills against a field of top competitors and to enjoy the unique setting that only the Monterey Bay and Santa Cruz can provide. “The level of competition for the 12 mile race seems to increase every year,” says Gunnar Roll co-race director, “yet despite the high level of competition in the 12 mile course, the 2 mile race is a great opportunity for beginning paddlers and paddlers who aren’t quite ready to spend two and a half hours or more giving it all they’ve got on the 12 mile course.”

They also come to pay their respects to big wave surfing legend Jay Moriarity. Jay was one of the youngest surfers to ever attempt the massive waves at the notorious big wave break known as Mavericks. To train for the beatings that Jay would inevitably endure out at Mavericks, he would log countless hours paddling his paddleboard. Jay passed away in 2001 in a free diving accident while on a surf trip to the Maldives. He will always be remembered for his fearlessness in big waves but more importantly for his friendly, positive attitude towards others in and out of the water.

For the 2009 race, CLIF BAR has stepped up their commitment to the event by coming on board as presenting sponsor. CLIF BAR staff will be on hand passing out their incredible energy bars and other nutrition products including their new sports drink, CLIF Quench.

For more information about the 2009 Surftech Jay Moriarity Memorial Paddleboard Race or to register online, check out the event site at http://www.facebook.com/l/;www.surftech.com http://www.facebook.com/l/;<http://www.surftech.com>

Wave Drought Eases, Gloom Continues

Finally. Bagged a few waist/chest high waves this morning at the beaches. It was great to get wet again. I guess I can stop taking the Prozac and put the razorblades back in the medicine chest. What a wave drought!

Paddled out into a lone peak at 0804 on the Coffey 6-10. A relative crowd was on another downcoast peak, but mine didn't look bad. Surfed the first half hour by myself. Then a couple folks came out and joined me. The onshore wind, which has been incessant for the last almost two weeks, even relented a bit in that it didn't come up until close to 0900.

I had the Pavel Speed Dialer fins installed and was looking forward to getting a surf at long last, and to comparing the speeds with the future quads. Super high tech sophisticated fins are wasted on me I guess. I'm a beer guy so save the champaign for somebody else. I just didn't notice any appreciable difference between the speeds and the futures. There was no additional or enhanced drive, stability, or maneuverability. As a matter of fact, the speeds were a little skitterish, and they did not stabilize well in the white water. After my surf I popped out the speeds and re-installed the futures. If this little west wind swell holds up I'll get a few more waves tomorrow morning too.

Surfed for an hour and got out after a long left put up a wall with some room to maneuver. It was a good way to end the session. As I walked up the beach an injured or sick seal pup was crawling slowly up the sand. He wasn't in good shape but no trauma was visible. I called M who called the Park rangers and animal rescue. Hope the little guy makes it.
June 1, 2009 (M)

In: 0803
Out: 0900
AT= 53-54F
WT= 53F
Wx: Low clouds and overcast
Tide: 2.9' Falling to 2.2'
Wind: Light to increasing southeasterlies
Sea Surface: Light wind chop
6-10 Ward Coffey EPS (Marko Styrolite)/Epoxy Custom

Fin set-up: Pavel quads
Bathymetry: Sand bars
Deep Water Swell and Wave Face Heights CDIP Archive
Buoy: NWS (Nearshore)
0730: 1.6 feet @ 11.1 W
0800: 1.6 feet @ 10.5 W (2-3 ft. wave faces)
0830: 1.6 feet @ 10.5 W
0900: 1.3 feet @ 10.5 W (2-3 ft. wave faces)
0930: 1.3 feet @ 10.5 W