Entry 088 - Funish Again!

Glad I got out today. Even though it was at high tide and a little textured, the surf and crowd was fun. Caught a really nice left and right about mid way through my session and would have stayed out longer if I didn't have to get in to work. Finally, some good surf after a pretty crappy past few days. Of course, being under the weather didn't help much either. The weekend is looking pretty good! Happy Halloween!

Weather: 57 deg, Clear Skies

Conditions: Textured, Knee to Waist High, Fun

Waves Caught: 7

Sea Life: Nothing
Sea Temp: 63 deg

Entry 087 - Bleh

Another just ho-hum day. Swell is directly from the west and doesn't make for much of anything. Walls up most of the time and when not, it's just plain weak. The crowd doesn't help either and I think the flu shot I got yesterday is having some side effects (read "feeling kinda weak too"). Still, I just had to get out and see what the surf was like. Note to self, "West only swell doesn't make for much fun at Porto."

Weather: 59 deg, Foggy

Conditions: Bumpy, Weak, Dumpy, Knee to Chest High

Waves Caught: 4

Sea Life: Dolphin (2)
Sea Temp: 63 deg

Entry 086 - Yuck

Not a fun day on the water today. Looked better than yesterday but the rideable stuff was few and far between. Lots of walls and closeouts with not a lot of energy on the stuff that was rideable. I was extra surprised by the northward current with the swell being so small. You could actually watch yourself get swept north if you were anywhere near 44th St. Overall, like I said, "yuck", but then again, it's always good to get out.

Weather: 59 deg, Cloudy

Conditions: Bumpy, Wally, Waist to Chest High Plus

Waves Caught: 8ish

Sea Life: Dolphin (3)
Sea Temp: 64 deg

Entry 085 - Surfing Dolphins

Another beautiful morning but a little smaller and weaker than yesterday. Caught two really nice lefts that made it all worth it and saw dolphins surfing too after my session was all over! Should have stayed out a little longer to be in the lineup with them. Pretty darn awesome. Great long board day. Air is starting to get chillier as fall sets in.

Weather: 59 deg, Clear Skies

Conditions: Clear, Small, Knee to Thigh High Plus

Waves Caught: 9

Sea Life: Dolphin (6)
Sea Temp: 66 deg

Entry 084 - Crystal Clear

Crystal clear day today on the water and in the sky. Surf was a little small but workable and fun. Right out of the gate, I caught a nice right that I rode down the line for a bit. Not many folks out either which made it even nicer. The water was so clear you could see the ocean floor 7 - 8 ft down and I even spotted my first ray. No white shark though. I could swear I saw a couple of whales in the distance too. Beautiful!

Weather: 64 deg, Clear Skies

Conditions: Clear, Small, Dumpy, Knee to Thigh High Plus

Waves Caught: 10

Sea Life: Sting Ray (1), Whale (2?)
Sea Temp: 65 deg

Entry 083 - Small and Mushy

Beautiful this morning but the surf was a bit crappy - small, mushy, and inconsistent. I was hoping for better but I'll take what I can get on a Monday morning before work. Caught 2 decent knee-thigh high rights that I was able to ride down the line. Was also cut off by a shortboarder paddling a foot from me - probably just competitive but I was out to have fun, he could have it. Also saw the silhouette of a 5' shark under the water out there - I've heard someone spotted a mako shark so I'm not sure if it was a mako or the juvenile white shark. Either way - he didn't bother me, so  I wasn't going to bother him.

Weather: 61 deg, Clear Skies

Conditions: Clear, Mushy, Bumpy, Knee to Thigh High Plus

Waves Caught: 6

Sea Life: White Shark (1)
Sea Temp: 65 deg

Entry 082 - Mushy But Fun

Got out just as the sun rose this morning and met up with the same friendly crew. Sand and air was cold but the water was warm. Yep, it's fall. While the surf was overall mushy with inconsistent waist+ sets, it was still fun. Most of the waves I caught were pretty short down the line but I had two really nice rights.

Days end: Finished up a beautiful day back at the beach with my amazing wife and daughter at a wedding on the south side of Porto. Congrats, Brian and Gina!

Weather: 55 deg, Clear Skies

Conditions: Clear, Glassy, Mushy, Knee to Waist High Plus

Waves Caught: 13

Sea Life: Dolphin (1)
Sea Temp: 65 deg

Entry 081 - Too Polite

No Picture Today

Late start. Had to get out. Caught a few okay lefts and would have had a really nice one if the guy next to me and I hadn't been to polite to each other before dropping in - we both missed a nice ride - damn! Had a really nice right that made it all worth it today and calmed me down from a pretty stressful week.

Weather: 60 deg, Sunny

Conditions: Warbly, Knee to Waist High, Fun

Waves Caught: 5

Sea Life: Dolphin (3)
Sea Temp: 68 deg

Entry 080 - Cold Sand, Warm Water

Just a beautiful, crisp morning today. After a jog across the cold sand - is it winter? - got out into the lineup tight at sunrise. Kinda steep today and closed out in spots but there were sections and corners to pick off in the crowd. Of the ones I caught, I was only able to the bottom turn in on about 1/3rd of them before they closed out. Still a fun morning. Gotta get that 7'10" or 8' board for winter.

Weather: 60 deg, Cloudy and Drizzle

Conditions: Steep, Clear, Glassy, Closey-Outey

Waves Caught: 11

Sea Life: Dolphin (2)
Sea Temp: 66 deg

Entry 079 - In-n-Out

Needed to get out again today to practice against some larger swell - at least I thought. It was warbly at best with the waves coming in and going out from the beach. Clean though and the water was warm. Longshore current coming from the north was pushing everything south. Had to catch a bunch of lefts to have any chance of getting back to my car without jogging. Caught once nice long left during the session which made it fun. One another one, guy decided he wanted to be on camera and flipped me the bird - he should've been more creative.

Weather: 64 deg, Cloudy and Drizzle

Conditions: Crumbly, Clean, Knee to Waist High

Waves Caught: 7

Sea Life: Nothing
Sea Temp: 67 deg

Entry 078 - Kamikaze Seagull

Paddled out and was sitting in the lineup when a lone surfer on the outside almost got hit in the face by a seagull headed straight for him. He waved it off like he was swatting at a fly. Hilarious! Surf was a bit steep today but manageable. The surf report called for chest high surf and it definitely was but the high tide helped. Lots of closeouts in general and the paddle out was a workout. Had fun and enjoyed my first taste of fall surf and bigger swells. Still lookin' for the new board but I'm able to make due with the Stewart - I'm learning.

Weather: 63 deg, Sunny

Conditions: Glassy, Steep, Closeouts

Waves Caught: 5

Sea Life: Sand Shark (1)
Sea Temp: 67 deg