Session 5041

I was going to do a DP, and then I decided to check a few things out at work. Before I knew, it was already 10:30 am, and I was supposed to get out avoiding the low tide. Well, I did finish a major chunk of the delivery item for today, so with much less of guilt feeling, I suited up and drove to the north to check out the Jetty.

The place was already looking like too low of a tide and also blown out. It looked poor. Only one surfer in the water, and I don't know what this surfer would do. It still is a big day, and so the Montara was also doing the big close-out deal too.

So you know I'd be next? (I don't know why but there is such a stigma attached to surfing at that place!)

By this time, I was desperate to just get in the water. So I picked the 7'5 and gone in. I can tell that the upwelling is about to start, as today was one of the coldest feeling day I had. It must be hitting 54 or less, and the water was mostly closing out with some shoulders happening from time to time. The initial seepage of water this time of the season is really more painful and uncomfortable, but once that's over and when the chill runs up from my leg to the spine and a quick shiver, it is back to normal. I try to paddle extra hard to get myself generate heat quicker too.

In terms of riding the waves, it turned out to kind of fun. As you know, my style is to stay inside and catch more waves than waiting for a big one and hope to catch a few. The waves were softer than I though it looked.

With the prevailing side-off shore wind, the wave had really funny quality to it, and also rip current shifted all over the places, so I could not get back to the same spot where I found the rip and ride back out, and there is so much happening on the surface that I could no easily see where the rips were. I'd just float in the side current and let it take me to the rip, and as soon as I think I am in it, I paddle out as fast as I can to get to the outside, as if you wait too long the next close out sets will come and require a lot of energy to get out, or missing a good forming shoulder.