Steep Angles from the North and South

Tuesday June 15, 2010

I was hoping for a redux of last Thursday's Gulf remnant swell but the swell angle was too steep too really blast into the bay. What little south was in the water (and there was a little), was hardly showing. The low, low minus tide didn't help but there was some wiggle room to surf before it got so drained out that the reefs we usually ride over, were flat little exposed islands dotting the playing field.


I paddled out at 0610 for what turned out to be a four hour session on the Angulo custom. I knew it wasn't going to be as good as last week, but I also knew that it wasn't going to get much better tomorrow or the rest of the week so I figured I'd take what I got and make a day out of it.

Jamie and I paddled out together and started pulling down little peelers in the 1-3 ft. range right away. After a while Middles looked pretty good and there even seemed to be some clear water showing, like little pools in the carpet of kelp that seemed to layout almost seamlessly from Sarges to Scimi's in a solid mass. After Jamie paddled in for work, there were only SUP surfers in the water for a quarter mile in either direction. SF Kevin was out on his Hawaii born SUP, and Greg paddled up from Seaville on his Stretch custom quad SUP.

Finally the tide just got too low to surf, so I headed down to the Yellow House to wait it out and pick up a few strays that wandered through the line-up. I had plenty of time to enjoy the beautiful morning and contemplate not much except for how fortunate I am to be here now, and my feet. As the tide filled back in I headed back to Sarges to finish off the session, riding wide the little peelers off the south section stairs.

I used to be frustrated by the immensity of the kelp beds, but after four years I've finally accepted them. If nature operates in cycles then they'll be gone or greatly diminished one of these days. In the meantime, they're there, and so am I. Another thing that used to bug me is water temp. It's cold again. Temps are in the low, low 50's. But the solution is just staying in Winter rubber longer...no big thing, just the way it is.

Writing about cold water reminds me of this mornings NWS discussion. They ended the update with this: CPC IS ALSO SUGGESTING THAT ENSO NEUTRAL CONDITIONS ARE PRESENT ACROSS THE EQUATORIAL PACIFIC WITH SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES CONTINUING TO DECREASE ACROSS MUCH OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN. FORECAST MODELS ARE ALSO SUGGESTING THAT A TRANSITION TO LA NINA CONDITIONS WILL BE POSSIBLE DURING THE REMAINDER OF JUNE INTO AUGUST.