Entry 152 - Bumpy and Bigger

Bumpy, breezy morning today with not a lot of consistency but plenty of closeouts. Not too much fun but I caught a nice shoulder high right and a left for the session which made it worth it. Wish I could have had a few more but no joy. Maybe later this week.

And, no, the sea isn't as green as this picture makes it look!

Weather: 65 deg, Cloudy

Conditions: Waist to Shoulder High, Inconsistent, Bumpy

Waves Caught: 2

Sea Life: Nothing
Sea Temp: 68 deg

Entry 151 - June Crowds

It was like the gym in January - everyone wants to be out in the water. Just nutty crowded and kinda dangerous. Almost got hit by a Costco paddling out and had to keep looking left and right before popping up. Everything turned bumpy and breezy after about 20 minutes in the water making it more inconsistent but still fun when you could catch a loner. Couple of nice rights and a so-so- left made for a good session overall before heading home after an early morning.

Weather: 67 deg, Cloudy

Conditions: Knee to Belly High, Inconsistent, Bumpy

Waves Caught: 6

Sea Life: Dolphin (2)
Sea Temp: 68 deg

Entry 150 - Walkabout

No Pic Today

Brought the longboard out today because it looked small and crumbly. It definitely was compared to yesterday and the day before. Caught some nice rights that turned fat closer to shore. Water is really warm and I've got to just go ahead and trunk it on Saturday maybe. These past few sessions on the Stewart have also given me a chance to start walking my board. I'm getting better at it but definitely not smooth - sometimes I find myself hopping from the middle to the front of the board. Good times.

Weather: 65 deg, Cloudy

Conditions: Knee to Waist High, Inconsistent, Crumbly, Glassy, Clean

Waves Caught: 6

Sea Life: Nothing
Sea Temp: 68 deg

Entry 149 - Weekend?

Is the weekend here already? Damn, it was crowded today and apparently pretty dangerous with the crowd. Surf wasn't as great as yesterday by the time I got out there. Seemed to be more fat, inconsistent, and often walled up at times. Lots of waiting and scanning the inside to avoid taking anyone out. Caught an okay right and a left before calling it and paddling back in to get the day started.

Weather: 66 deg, Cloudy

Conditions: Waist to Chest High, Inconsistent, Crumbly, Glassy, Clean

Waves Caught: 2

Sea Life: Nothing
Sea Temp: 68 deg

Entry 148 - Almost A Barrel?

Paddled out today after a long (3-day?) break. Stopped by yesterday but everything just looked small and hard to catch. Today looked better though. Crumbly stuff but there were bigger sets if you were patient. I was all about finding the rights today and I caught 3 of them. The last ride I caught was amazing and got me so stoked I almost hated to go in. Beautiful right about chest high that I dropped in on at just the right moment, could almost touch the wall, and felt the barrel behind me. Slowed down just a bit and I could swear that I was soooo close! Had to get out while I was ahead.

Weather: 66 deg, Cloudy

Conditions: Knee to Chest High, Inconsistent, Crumbly, Glassy, Clean

Waves Caught: 4

Sea Life: Nothing
Sea Temp: 68 deg

Entry 147 - Quick Session

Given the past 2 days, I had to get out for another session even though I had to also leave work early for a bachelor party. Turned out to be well worth it. Only wish I could have stayed out another hour or two. Glassy and clean surf with a little bit of chilly water here and there. Caught a nice party wave going left and rode it for as long as I could before bailing - gotta keep my eye out sometimes.

Weather: 64 deg, Clear Skies

Conditions: Knee to Waist High, Inconsistent, Crumbly, Glassy, Clean

Waves Caught: 10

Sea Life: Dolphin (1)
Sea Temp: 67 deg

Entry 146 - GoPro Mounts

Not as fun as yesterday with the wind swell creating pretty crumbly waves. Water was clear and semi-glassy though and I still caught some nice stuff. With about 20 min left in my session though I pearled and thought I might have buckled my board! Luckily, my leg just hit GoPro mount and broke it off. Oh well, put the mount in my teeth for the rest of the session and tried something different. Don't know if I'll fix the mount yet. Feel like I've been learning more without it right now.

Weather: 64 deg, Some Clouds

Conditions: Knee to Waist High, Inconsistent, Crumbly, Glassy, Clean

Waves Caught: 5

Sea Life: Dolphin (1)
Sea Temp: 67 deg

Entry 145 - Plenty of Rights

No Pic Today

Paddled out this morning after 2 long days of work and another two coming before a half day on Friday. Wasn't expecting much because the reports were saying small stuff. Instead, I was very surprised! Maybe it was the training I got on the Egg or the surf was just right but either way I was catching all kinds of rights. Just a beautiful day! Long rides where I could practice my turns and plenty of room to move up and down the face of the wave. Caught only one left the whole time. I could have stayed out another hour! Today was definitely a "get my stoke back" day.

Weather: 63 deg, Sunny

Conditions: Knee to Chest High, Consistent, Glassy, Clean, Fun

Waves Caught: 13

Sea Life: Dolphin (4)
Sea Temp: 67 deg

Entry 144 - Getting The Hang Of The Egg

I think I'm finally getting the hang of the Egg with my Stewart in the shop for repairs. SSW swell just missing the South Bay made for small, weak surf which made me practice more on my paddling and pop-up on the skinnier Egg. Still fun but I wish the surf wad been just a little bigger. Caught myself a few times not taking a nice left or right because I'm so used to the 9' Stewart. The couple of times I said to myself "just go", I was rewarded with a nice ride.

Weather: 63 deg, Sunny

Conditions: Knee to Waist High, Inconsistent, Crumbly, Glassy

Waves Caught: 5

Sea Life: Dolphin (1), White Shark (1)
Sea Temp: 66 deg

Entry 143 - Bumpy But Fun

I've been itching to get out all week but work has gotten in the way and the surf and tide haven't cooperated. Small stuff plus high tide equals very small mushy stuff. Add a light wind and everything gets textured pretty quick. Today was the exception. Mainly because I just told myself I needed to get out. Surf wasn't that great but it was fun and gave me an opportunity to get better on the Egg. Practiced my paddling and driving my board into the wave before taking off equaled more fun rides. Yippie!

Weather: 66 deg, Sunny

Conditions: Knee to Waist High, Inconsistent, Crumbly, Textured

Waves Caught: 8

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

Entry 142 - Overcast

Got out for dawn patrol even though everything looked pretty weak and crumbly. Caught a bunch of short stuff and one nice long left. Nice start to the weekend and looking forward to Hawaii this year. Warm water, more consistent surf, what more could you ask for. Hoping Monday is a little better at Porto.

Weather: 63 deg, Overcast

Conditions: Knee to Waist High, Small, Inconsistent, Crumbly

Waves Caught: 4

Sea Life: White Shark (1)
Sea Temp: 66 deg

Entry 141 - Looked Good

Looked good on the camera. Looked good from the parking lot. Was good for about 20 minutes and then turned bumpy and got close to choppy. Still searching for the nice right but caught 2 okay lefts and a short right. Rest of the time I spent paddling in the chop. Water was warm though!

In the parking lot about to leave when me and a few guys saw two lifeguards rescue two guys from a heck of a rip current around where I paddled in. No wonder I was tired. 

Weather: 74 deg, Sunny

Conditions: Knee to Waist High, Bumpy, Inconsistent, Crumbly

Waves Caught: 4

Sea Life: White Shark (1)
Sea Temp: 66 deg

Entry 140 - Egg All The Way

Now with the Stewart in the shop, it's all about the Egg. Crumbly, weak stuff on tap for the paddle out right around low tide. Skipped the GoPro as well - time for a change. With no GoPro I found myself digging a little deeper and being a little more adventurous. The lack of a crowd helped too. While I was holding out for a least one nice right, all I caught were lefts. A fun session which I wish I could have extended through mid-morning if it weren't for work. 

Weather: 64 deg, Sunny

Conditions: Knee to Waist High, Inconsistent, Crumbly, Fun

Waves Caught: 4

Sea Life: Nothing
Sea Temp: 65 deg

Entry 139 - First Ding of Summer

Beautiful day today! Warm sun, warm ocean, good friends, and good waves... and then a ding to end my session early. Sucks!! After catching a few lefts and two nice rights, guy on a longboard (part of the regular crowd) tried to make it past me and popped his board out. I had a choice... sacrifice my board or potentially get hit in the head. I chose my board and dove under the incoming whitewater hoping for no damage. I guess it could have been worse! So, today is now ding repair day.

Weather: 61 deg, Sunny

Conditions: Knee to Chest High, Inconsistent, Peaky, Fun

Waves Caught: 8 and...

Sea Life: Nothing
Sea Temp: 64 deg