Friday, January 19, 2007

Session 7014: The Sun Directly in Sight

This morning, it was fun. Some fun little poppers here and there, and paddling out was smooth. We are now getting to the time of the year when the sun comes up, it can be directly towards the beach, and it is often impossible to see people ahead.

I am usually very careful, but I must admit, there were some few close calls where someone is paddling out right into my line of surfing. I would wish that people would paddle around a bit and not go so directly back into the lineup especially like today where the waves are popping up at similar places. But this was a famous beginner break. While I wait for a wave, I usually look towards the horizon, but I also look towards the beach to make sure that people are not starting to move into my line of surfing. I usually track 2-3 people who are paddling out, or just finished the last ride and see which "vector" they are taking, and mentally calculate their future points.

Reverse of this situation happens in the late summer and fall when I am out late in the afternoon. In this case, the sun is directly in my eyes when I paddle out and wait for the waves.

Luckily around in this area, this stops to be an issue in the summer especially because usually we are blanketed with a thick cover of fog. So I actually welcome a bit of fog in the morning and late afternoon.

This morning, a bit of cloud cover started in the east as the morning progressed and I think that made it much safer for everyone. Unfortunately, the condition deteriorated rather quickly.

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