The Perfect Ten

Thursday January 27, 2011
A welcome conspiracy of waves, wind and weather plotted to provide a perfect day of surfing at a pristine point break today. We hit the water at 1015 for a nearly five hour session on SUP, Bonzer and knee board and paipo bellyboard. For three hours we surfed alone in consistent, chest high/slightly overhead waves. Then we were joined by two shortboarders who filled out the surf craft ranks. Most sets had so many waves in them, we could have used more surfers as not to waste any. The best rides were long and satisfying, ending up in a bowl section that demanded a quick kick-out or a flogging on the sandy shore.

Even with six or seven waves per set, the paddle back out was so long you could only get a second wave if you'd taken the first in the set. Waves poured in consistently through the main take off peak which provided a fast and steep drop but then rapidly backed off as it hit the end of the reef and deep water. This necessitated a hard cutback into the now boiling froth. At the right time one brought the board around again and into a long reformed wall that set-up a bowl section of the cleanest, clearest emerald green glass you could imagine. Then do it again until the flick out at water's edge. Swing wide sets were infrequent, but when they did occur it gave us the opportunity to magnify the take-off by backdooring the peak and riding under the water fall. This facilitated a "peak squared" equation of energy and stoke along with the fast and barreling inside section.

The weather forecasters are fond of telling us that we always get a spate of fantastic weather during the Winter. I hear 'em. Weather this January has been nothing short of spectacular. As a matter of fact, we've had better weather these last two or three weeks than all Summer long with it's persistent cold and dreary fog, fog, fog feeling like the ashen faces of gravestones in a heavy mist. Wind stood up offshore or slightly side shore all day long, blowing the tops off the waves like banners on the battlefield. Only late in the session did the wave faces get slightly chattery, and then only for a short period of time. It glassed off late in the session when we were all too exhausted and sated to carry on.

Sessions like this one are rare. Appreciation and thanksgiving were passed around.

Mega-thanks and salutations to the one who took the pics. You know who you are.