Hank's Bodysurfing Blog: The Park Delivers (Doesn't Disappoint)

Note to the impatient: Scroll down for a Hugh Berenger gallery from the day.

"The Park delivers," Eric ( E_Y ) Yeisley liked to say.

All week, the forecasts were for a solid W swell to arrive late Friday, accompanied by offshore, NW, winds. But the forecasts were inconsistent. Surfline projected South Orange County, and the Park, for a great morning ... 5 - 7 foot waves and moderate offshores:

But other reliable wave forecasts ranged as low as 1-3 feet, and some wind forecasts were for howling offshores up to 25 MPH and more. What to expect?

Polling the various sources, the swell had to be there...the winds might be excessive but the direction was right. Sticking my neck out, I persuaded my cousin, Charlie Raine, to come down from South Bay and had Paul Tordella leaning that way, as well. Mark Ghattas already was in. I was psyched for a solid morning with a good pod in the water.

Checking late Friday, nothing was showing, as yet. I went to bed with a slight doubt. Saturday dawned with clear skies ... and not much showing on the cams. South Bay was closed out (thank the stars) but, while there were a few waves evident in the San Clemente cams, it looked inconsistent at best. Setting doubt aside, I commenced the trek south.

Before I'd seen the water, Charlie reported, "it looks flat!?! Or, at least, nearly." He'd driven down with an open water swimming friend, Ryan Bullock (winner of the last Hermosa to Manhattan pier-to-pier race), and I was anxious for it to be worth his while to drive an hour when all of South Bay was in his back yard. Oh, no.

But, from the steps, you could see the long interval (18-20 sec.) swell was in the water. There were only a few scattered sticks out, but it just felt like surf. A few chest high waves came in, and Charlie and Ryan turned back to pay for parking and suit up. ...wait (!) ... look at this (!) ....

Maybe not quite epic, but look at that right; check the rooster-comb spray.

As I turned back to the lot, another set rolled in. OK, maybe not the 5 - 7 feet anticipated, but nicely- formed, clean and shoulder-high.

Shortly, a pod of five were headed into the water, a cool 60, spreading out above and below the main peak, which we had nearly to ourselves for the first hour.

Paul, Ryan, Charlie, Mark, Hank

Photo: Hugh Berenger

Early on, there were chest and shoulder-high sets with occasional lulls, but building through the morning. As evidenced in Hugh's photos, the hollow waves offered everyone plenty of tube time. Even the sticks got some:

GoPro Photo: Hank Haldeman

The sun was shining in a cloudless, deep blue, winter sky. The water was sparkling blue-green, surprisingly glassy as the offshore wind continued through the morning.

GoPro Photo: Hank Haldeman

In the second hour, the swell continued to grow, as occasional head-high sets became increasingly frequent. So, too, did the number of surfers, body-boarders, photographers, and even bodysurfers, in the water. But the stoke remained, the peaks were spread out, and everyone was getting theirs. Good vibe.

I had several memorable waves, enjoying sliding across increasingly large glossy, open faces. But, this day, we had the good fortune of having Hugh Berenger ashore to document the day. All photos below by Hugh Berenger (click on photo for larger size)

The Park delivers!