Entry 293 - El Nino Sucks!

So this post is a few weeks late. I just couldn't bring myself to post due to what seems to be week after week of northern swell putting things at 5+ feet and shitty surf at El Porto. So, I'm finally getting this up. On top of El Nino, the cold water just keeps coming and the cold weather with it. It's was frickin' 43 deg the morning I surfed. Good friends and some good waves. I wish spring would come quickly!

Here's to a great 2016!!

Weather: 43 deg, Sunny

Conditions: Glassy, Fun, Waist to Shoulder High

Waves Caught: 6

Sea Life: Nothing
Sea Temp: 60 deg

SurfExplorer down again!!!

Entry 292 - Done with El Nino

Just like my last post, I'm done with El Nino. Water is cold, storms and northern swell have really mixed up and swamped out El Porto so my workday sessions are gonna get few and far between. Luckily got one in today at 12:30 and was glad for it. The sun helped keep things a little warmer!

Weather: 58 deg, Sunny

Conditions: Bumpy, Swampy

Waves Caught: 3

Sea Life: Nothing
Sea Temp: 60 deg

Entry 291 - It's Cold!

Yay!!! Got out this morning to nice long lines that I could ride forever. Looked small on the cams but you just had to wait for the sets to come in and it was a blast. Really had a good time. Got really cold though with all the northern swell. The offshore wind makes it worse. Hope to get out more over the next few weeks.

Weather: 50 deg, Sunny

Conditions: Glassy, Fun, Waist to Shoulder High

Waves Caught: 6

Sea Life: Nothing
Sea Temp: 65 deg

Entry 290 - Catching Up

Still catching up here. Not a lot to write about though. Been lots of storms coming out from the north and stuff at Porto has mainly been walled up or only for short boarders or those with a little more of a death wish (read "more experienced"). Good to get out though. Ran into my boss in the parking lot at work when I got in... yep, he knew I was surfing. It's all good though... he's a former surfer. One of these days I'll find out why he stopped.

Weather: 64 deg, Sunny

Conditions: Bumpy, Waist to Chest High, Crowded

Waves Caught: 6+

Sea Life: Nothing
Sea Temp: 65 deg

Still waiting until SurfExplorer comes back online!

Entry 289 - Too Long

So I'm posting this about a month after I actually had the session. It's been too crazy with moving, getting sick on Thanksgiving, and work (ugh). Good news is I'm finally back to the blog. Bad news is I kinda forgot how good of a day it was that day, so I'm guessing a little. I think it was pretty flat and I only caught a few. The water was warm though and clear - I do remember that. Not like it was in October but I'll take what I can get.

Weather: 64 deg, Sunny

Conditions: Glassy, Fun, Knee to Waist High

Waves Caught: 4

Sea Life: Nothing
Sea Temp: 65 deg

Switch it up with a new app for now until SurfExplorer comes back online!

Entry 288 - So Close to a Tube!

Beautiful morning! Surf looked weak from the camera but since I hadn't been out in a week, I just had to go. Glad I did. Fun stuff everywhere and good time with the normal crew. While the water was cold, the sun and surf made up for it. Lots of good rights and lefts with almost two barrels! Just a little closer to the face and I would have had it!

Weather: 64 deg, Sunny

Conditions: Glassy, Fun, Waist to Chest High

Waves Caught: 16

Sea Life: Dolphine (2)
Sea Temp: 65 deg

SurfExplorer is still down! Gonna have to switch to a new service.

Entry 287 - Cold Water is Back

Cold water is back in force now. Too bad - was really enjoying the El Nino water. No much swell today. Surf coming from the west with a light breeze. Fun in the lineup and caught a bunch of nice rights. Thus begins the winter months!

Weather: 64 deg, Sunny

Conditions: Glassy, Cold Breeze, Fun, Waist to Chest High, Closey-Outey

Waves Caught: 8

Sea Life: Nothing
Sea Temp: 67 deg

SurfExplorer is still down! Gonna have to switch to a new service.

Entry 286 - Cold Wind!

Got out 3 days in a row! Starting to get cold. Not the water, but the air! The breeze on my back from the offshore started to get my teeth chattering. Might be time to go back to the wetsuit. Boo!

Weather: 64 deg, Sunny

Conditions: Glassy, Cold Breeze, Fun, Waist to Chest High, Closey-Outey

Waves Caught: 6+

Sea Life: Nothing
Sea Temp: 73 deg

SurfExplorer is still down!

Entry 285 - Not As Much Fun As Yesterday

Brought the GoPro back out for another session. Gotta get a new floaty for the back - my current one keeps coming off in the big stuff. Not as much fun as yesterday and mostly lefts. Still good to get out 2 days in a row.

Weather: 71 deg, Sunny

Conditions: Glassy, Fun, Waist to Chest High, Walled Up

Waves Caught: 5

Sea Life: Nothing
Sea Temp: 73 deg

Again, WTF SurfExplorer!!

Entry 284 - Long Wait

Been a week since I last got out there. Big stuff and mixed up conditions just couldn't get me motivated. Glad I went out today though. It was beautiful and the surf was fun. Could of nice long rights and steep stuff just increased my confidence to go bigger!

Weather: 71 deg, Sunny

Conditions: Glassy, Fun, Waist to Chest High, Closey-Outey

Waves Caught: 6+

Sea Life: Nothing
Sea Temp: 73 deg

Entry 283 - Warm October Days

Another warm October morning and the surf was looking good. It's been difficult getting out during the week and no time lately to update this blog. Gotta get back into the swing of things.

Weather: 71 deg, Sunny

Conditions: Glassy, Fun, Knee to Thigh High

Waves Caught: 6+

Sea Life: Nothing
Sea Temp: 73 deg

Entry 282 - Mid-Week

Looked at the camera this morning and just had to get out considering it looks like the weekend is gonna be big and closed out at Porto. One of these days I need to get up to Malibu or surf PV Cove. I'm just a creature of habit though and really enjoy Porto's convenience.

Surf today wasn't as great as Monday. Longer waits and smaller surf. Water is still warm!!

Weather: 67 deg, Sunny

Conditions: Glassy, Fun, Knee to Thigh High

Waves Caught: 5

Sea Life: Nothing
Sea Temp: 73 deg

SurfExplorer has been down - WTF!

Entry 281 - Relaxing Ocober

Nice glassy session today with knee to thigh high surf. Good to get out on a Monday before work. Keep me centered for the week. I can't believe it's October and I'm still in my trunks! In previous years I'd be in my wetsuit and the water would be approaching 65 deg. Man, I'm lucky. Caught all kinds of nice surf today and headed into the office to start the week.

Weather: 67 deg, Sunny

Conditions: Glassy, Fun, Knee to Thigh High

Waves Caught: 6+

Sea Life: Nothing
Sea Temp: 73 deg

SurfExplorer has been down - WTF!

Entry 280 - So Close!

Manhattan Beach had some sort of run going on today and I guess with the surf being so crappy this past week everyone and their brother needed to get out this morning. El Porto parking lot was packed at 7am so I had to park at the corner lot and go for a walk.

Surf was really fun this morning with some good shape every once in a while but mostly walled up stuff and long waits. I ended up catching 2 unforgettable rights, the second of which broken right at my head! If I had only ducked down a little bit it would have been a barrel!!! Maybe next time.

Weather: 64 deg, Sunny

Conditions: Glassy, Walled Up, Waist to Shoulder High, Crowded

Waves Caught: 6+

Sea Life: Nothing
Sea Temp: 73 deg

SurfExplorer has been down - WTF!

Entry 279 - Saturday

Another beautiful Saturday morning session at El Porto. End of September and the water is still warm although the discharge from the Hyperion treatment plant is still slightly visible. No health warnings at El Porto - most of it was way up the beach. Glad Porto is a little protected from the LAX area. Small surf today with a few good rights.

Weather: 68 deg, Sunny

Conditions: Glassy, Debris, Dumpy, Knee to Waist High, Crowded

Waves Caught: 6+

Sea Life: Nothing
Sea Temp: 73 deg

SurfExplorer has been down - WTF!

Entry 278 - Shoulder

Nope, not that kind of shoulder. I don't know what I did but I strained my shoulder today. Didn't notice it until mid-afternoon and I'm not even sure it was from surfing. I can't believe I'm typing this but I'm kinda glad I'm heading on business travel this week. It'll give my shoulder time to heal up for next weekend. Session overall was good though there was a lot of debris still in the lineup from the storms on Tuesday.

Weather: 71 deg, Sunny

Conditions: Glassy, Debris, Dumpy, Knee to Waist High, Crowded

Waves Caught: 7+

Sea Life: Nothing
Sea Temp: 73 deg

Entry 277 - Warm Dawn Patrol

Wake up to a warm dawn patrol on a Saturday. Needed to feel a nice cool breeze after yesterday and the surf was rewarding with many rights that had good shape. Almost barreled one but still no luck. Gotta keep at it!

Weather: 75 deg, Partly Cloudy

Conditions: Glassy, Clear, Dumpy, Waist to Shoulder High, Crowded

Waves Caught: 7+

Sea Life: Nothing
Sea Temp: 73 deg

Entry 276 - Hot!

Hot, hot, hot. Freakin' 81deg when I got out of the water at 9am today to head to work. Was sweating by the time I finished getting dressed. One of those rare sessions when I wished the water wasn't so warm. Good surf today and a little better than yesterday. Caught lots or rights and lefts but nothing too long. Working on the carve.

Weather: 81 deg, Sunny

Conditions: Glassy, Clear, Dumpy, Waist to Shoulder High, Crowded

Waves Caught: 7+

Sea Life: Dolphin (8)
Sea Temp: 73 deg

Entry 275 - Get In While You Can

Gotta get in while I can this week because the next two weeks are gonna suck at work. All day big meetings next week and then East Coast travel the next (bleh). Water was awesome today! Clear, warm, and not to dumpy. Not much size but getting out during the week is a blessing.

Weather: 72 deg, Hazy

Conditions: Glassy, Clear, Dumpy, Knee to Waist High

Waves Caught: 4+

Sea Life: Dolphin (4)
Sea Temp: 73 deg

Entry 274 - Yesterday

Was hoping for a repeat of yesterday morning but no such luck except for the lateral current. Shape wasn't as good and it was a lot more dumpy and closed out than yesterday. One bright spot was that I finally saw two dolphin again. It has been a long time without seeing the little guys.

Weather: 68 deg, Cloudy

Conditions: Glassy, Clear, Dumpy, Waist to Shoulder High, Crowded

Waves Caught: 4

Sea Life: Dolphin (2)
Sea Temp: 73 deg

Entry 273 - Start of Next Swell

Been a long week of small surf and lots of work. Finally got out for a short session to make it a great way to end the week. With the next swell rolling it it turned out to be a lot of fun! Caught a bunch of good rides and another unforgettable right that I had enough time to play around with on the face. No, wasn't ripping it but rode up a down the face a bit. Strong lateral current made for a good workout too!

Weather: 74 deg, Cloudy

Conditions: Glassy, Clear, Dumpy, Waist to Shoulder High, Crowded, Fun

Waves Caught: 7+

Sea Life: Nothing
Sea Temp: 73 deg

Entry 272 - Mixed Up Saturday

Woke up late this morning from a pretty heavy sleep and was groggy on the way to Porto. When I got there I was afraid the surf was going to be too walled up and not much fun but as it turned out, the walls had somewhat subsided from yesterday and gave way to some nice shape every once in a while. Paddled out among friends and caught my fair share including one nice right that I could have ridden forever if the other end hadn't closed out on me.

Weather: 71 deg, Sunny

Conditions: Glassy, Clear, Dumpy, Knee to Chest High, Fun

Waves Caught: 6

Sea Life: Nothing
Sea Temp: 73 deg

Entry 271 - Swell Is Here

Well, the swell came in and it was very dumpy and walled up at Porto since the sand bars have all pretty much washed away and the bottom is smooth. Fun though. Been months since I've surfed in a good swell. Only got out for 30 min though which proved to be enough since everyone was looking for me when I got out.

Weather: 75 deg, Sunny

Conditions: Glassy, Clear, Walled Up, Waist to Shoulder High, Fun

Waves Caught: 6

Sea Life: Nothing
Sea Temp: 73 deg

Entry 270 - Swell Coming

A Wednesday morning, pre-work surf session. Schools are starting back up today and we dropped out daughter off for 1st grade - man, they grow up fast. Surf was small but there's a swell coming in toward Friday. Always good to be in the water during the week.

Weather: 71 deg, Sunny

Conditions: Glassy, Clear, Knee to Waist High, Fun

Waves Caught: 6

Sea Life: Nothing
Sea Temp: 73 deg

Entry 269 - Turn Quicker

While it wasn't as nice as Thursday, I could feel the southern swell building. Sets were consistently waist high and toward the end of the session, two waves popped up that were head high. One of them took me out (pic above) as I tried to decide whether to take it or not. Bruised thigh and forearm to show for it. All in all a good session among good friends.

Weather: 68 deg, Cloudy

Conditions: Bumpy, Clear, Knee to Chest High, Fun

Waves Caught: 14

Sea Life: Nothing
Sea Temp: 73 deg

Entry 268 - Another Decade

Another decade under my belt and what a better way to start a new one than with a great surf session! The surf was only waist high at best but the shape was great and the crowd was really fun. Lots of rights and only the occasional left made it even better for me. I wish every session could be as good as this one... if not better.

Weather: 68 deg, Partly Cloudy

Conditions: Bumpy, Clear, Knee to Waist High, Good Shape, Fun

Waves Caught: 16

Sea Life: Nothing
Sea Temp: 73 deg

Entry 267 - Reflecting

Bumpy and small today for a pre-work session on the week I turn the big 4-0. Sitting in the lineup reflecting and not coming up with much. Luck to have what I have but feeling unfulfilled in my career and home life is a struggle sometimes. Not sure what my life has meant over these past 40 years. Didn't think I would take it this hard. Gotta pull myself up and outta this and move one with the year... it's just a revolution around the sun and has very little to do with my real age anyway.

Surf was so, so today. Good to be in the warm water.

Weather: 67 deg, Cloudy

Conditions: Bumpy, Clear, Ankle to Knee High, Crumbly, Fun

Waves Caught: 6

Sea Life: Nothing
Sea Temp: 73 deg

Entry 266 - Long Session

Back to school in the next two weeks for all the kiddies and the crowds were out in force for dawn patrol. Not much to talk about. The surf was small and weak. Had to do a quick leash loop repair on my board about 1/3rd of the way through my session but it didn't ruin my stoke. As mid-tide approached everything started to get swamped out and even smaller. I hope this week gets better and there some magic swell from somewhere but the surf report doesn't look that great. ;(

Weather: 73 deg, Sunny

Conditions: Glassy, Clear, Ankle to Knee High, Crumbly, Fun

Waves Caught: 16

Sea Life: Nothing
Sea Temp: 73 deg

Entry 265 - Right of Way

No Pic Today

Dolphin always have the right of way in the surf. Almost fell off my board when two decided to drop in underneath me on a perfectly good right! I'm in their neighborhood and just glad they let me share. Not much else to speak of though. Good morning!

Weather: 71 deg, Clear

Conditions: Glassy, Clear, Knee to Waist High, Crumbly, Fun

Waves Caught: 2

Sea Life: Nothing
Sea Temp: 72 deg

Entry 264 - Fun in the Sun

Grabbed a session before work since it looks like it's gonna be small the rest of the week. Long waits between sets but lots of fun waist high ones when they came in. Water is still nice and warm and the news is talking of El Nino this year. My stoke from this morning helped me get through the day.

Weather: 71 deg, Overcast

Conditions: Glassy, Clear, Knee to Waist High, Crumbly, Fun

Waves Caught: 6+

Sea Life: Nothing
Sea Temp: 72 deg

Entry 263 - Work Break

Work is just no fun anymore - at least right now. I feel like it's a waste of my time lately and I haven't seen the fruits of my labors. I guess that's why I loved my surf session this morning. Warm water, fun waves, good crowd. I wish I could have surfed all day today but the wind started to pick up and as the tide started to come up and fill in, everything slowed down. Got into work... felt like I was talking to a brick wall... went to the coffee shop and did a little work from there. Glad the week is over!

Weather: 71 deg, Clear

Conditions: Glassy, Clear, Knee to Waist High, Dumpy, Fun, Crowded

Waves Caught: 10

Sea Life: Nothing
Sea Temp: 71 deg