Foggy Fun

As I drove down to the Park this morning I wasn't looking for much: forecasts were for a small, mixed NW & SW swell, but a moderate high tide at 9:40 and the possibility of a cross wind from the Southeast tempered any expectations.  

But about a dozen surfers were out, clumped at the Main Peak...

...and more down at LG 1, and some nice, shoulder high peaks seemed to appear consistently.  Looking North, though, to Riviera ...

 

...there appeared to be equal size, and more consistent, if anything.  And nobody was out!  So Mark and I decided to swim out up there, for the first time in many months.  Generally, there are at least as many boards out at Riviera as at the Park, but not this morning.  

By the time we got up there, one surfer was out, and a second was paddling out.  We swam out and found the original, lone surfer was one we knew through Hugh, Casey...enjoying some nice shoulder high peaks all to himself. 

At least to start, the wind vacillated between a mild offshore (above) and calm/glassy (below).  Repeatedly, Mark was getting long slides, facilitated by his handgun, from peak all the way to shore.  For about an hour, we had decent conditions.  After about 45 minutes, for a few minutes, the wind shifted to the West, presaging the onshore to come.  After an hour, it pretty well settled in, and the tide started swamping out what swell there was.  Unwilling to totally call in quits, Mark and I gradually worked our way the quarter-mile back down from Riviera to our steps at the Calafia lot, snagging a few more along the way.

Hugh was on the steps, having arrived after what there was for the morning had deteriorated.  Breakfast at Adele's followed.