Session 5017: 6:45 DP, East Side SC. Lots O Water

So here is how deeply I am into this sport. For the first time in my life, I have two places to sleep. I can now sleep in a shared apartment arrangement from a "stone's throw" from the Hook and 38th Street in Santa Cruz. So after enjoying a dinner with my wife, I packed a sleeping bag and surfing gear to my apartment. The idea is to sleep here until 6:00 then get out to the breaks right when it is light enough to see the waves.

I was hopeful that there won't be anyone at the breaks, but this morning, the area was firing up and already there were several dozen people right at the Hook. I actually never surf the Hook, it is too intense and I have not confidence in avoiding any sort of accidents to people paddling out. I actually don't know how people can manage taking off into the area where people are paddling out. At any given time after a set is over there are half dozen people paddling back out and many of them go straight back into the line rather than paddling around. Plus this morning, the Hook was getting close to double overhead on bigger sets, throwing enormous power, and there were some top notch surfers doing all sorts of good moves. I am hoping to get close to their levels this year, but still there seems to be a lot of training to go through.

Maneuvering in the water was also difficult.

There was so much water coming that after bigger sets, there was this huge current going eastward. Unless you paddle way out very fast, I was easily carried to the Cove and in no time, I was past the Privates stairs. Maintaining the position, especially for me, who would like to stay in the inside was also tiring, and sets were also very frequent and powerful. It almost felt like some gnarly day at Montara today than the usual relaxed Santa Cruz.

But it was very exciting first session out of my new den, and this ought to help me master more Santa Cruz style surfing, which is quite a bit different from beach breaks that I am so much used to now.

On the way back the sun came out, and sky was really beautiful, and the ocean was showing many swell lines. I had to stop at the Pigeon Point and take a shot of image to share.