Session 4.252: Quick Local Surfing Stoke 4

This afternoon, I did not want to drive out too far, so I decided to check out the Dunes state beach to surf, since the Jetty is likely to be contaminated by the rain. To summarize the surfing experience, it was a low stoke day. The wave got really junky and wind blown.

One thing about this place, and actually at all Half Moon Bay state beaches, is that there always is some amount of current, and often the current is tremendous. I launched at the North end of the park and in 30 minutes, I was already the Northern edge of the Dunes beach. It took me a good 5 minutes walk back to where I launched. As far as the current goes, Linda Mar makes me feel like a Koi pond, while the state beaches are a Jacuzzi running at full blast.

Yesterday, I wrote about a stoked grandma. Surfing is an interesting sport that there are many people who are really stoked about seeing surfers. Another pattern that happens sometime is to run into "stunned" people.

Typically what happens is this. When I am getting ready or getting in the water, and some people walking by will just stop doing what they are doing and just looked stunned, and keep watching what I will do next. It looks like they are more stunned than interested. Because if you are interested, they would look a bit more relaxed, or would sit down at the beach and watch a little.

I can give some guess as to why this happens. It is usually in the middle of a winter like today, and it was very windy today, so if you are out walking or something, it would feel cold to them. So they see a surfer about to splash in to the water, the just the idea of them feel chilled to their bones. Given that this is a holiday time too, I am sure that many people are from the east or other places that getting in to the ocean is not something you'd think to do in December.

Next time, you would want to observe the observers, it is kind of fun!

The session was cut short, as I was swept away and the wind started to pick up, blowing away already what amounts to be junky situation. I did paddle hard and got more practice on duck diving though, so it is not a total write off!