Through the week, forecasts for today had gradually turned negative, from 2-4 feet down to 1-2, with Surfline even saying yesterday that the Park would be flat by midmorning. But the swell charts themselves showed an interesting mix of small swells that often make the Park peaky & fun. Add to that four weeks dry and predictions for a sunny morning with favorable conditions (tide & wind), and I elected to make the journey South.
As the picture above and those that follow show, it was a good decision. Big isn't everything; there were regular waist and chest high waves coming in, a glassy surface, occasional mild offshore breeze and lots of peaks.
I got to the Park a bit after 8:00. There were a few surfers out at LG1, probably campers making a long weekend out of Veterans Day, but the main peak was basically empty. Immediately suited up - the water having dropped to about 60, full suit for the first time since last Spring - and swam out, not waiting for Mark "Sailfish" Ghattas to arrive. I was immediately rewarded with a chest-high right with an open tube giving a couple seconds' view of a sparkling tunnel opening across a glittering surface with Cotton's Point beyond.
As the main peak was getting a bit crowded, we swam down to LG1 and continued on, another hour. Sailfish kept nailing long, to the shore, lefts, working them with his handboard.
Ultimately 2-1/2 hours of very fun surf on a beautiful morning. What a great way to quench the thirst!
As always, click on any photo for full size.... For my East Coast friends, here's a link to a couple of video clips shot after today's session with a couple of decent stick rides: SCSP 11-13-10 or click the blog's headline.
