Sometimes Good Things Come In Small Packages

Swell forecasts through the week have been uninspiring.  There's a little southwest swell, generally projected for waist high, maybe some plusses.  Conditions were supposed to be decent, though, so  I turned in Friday night undecided: if I'm awake and feel like it, I'll head down to San Clemente.

I was awake, and I felt like it.  With a coffee and yogurt downed and about to head out, I get a text from Hugh: "Waist high and weak."  Damn.  I reply: "On my way, anyway."

Turned out to be a pretty good choice.  It was, as expected, fairly small.  But it had some shape and the conditions were good: clean and glassy under a flat, gray sky.  

A waist high tube is still a tube for a bodysurfer!

Today was a rare, solo session.  Hugh was at the rail but uninspired.  Mark was in San Diego.  Expectations hadn't warranted reaching out to anyone else.  

There were a surprising number of surfers in the water.  A mix of sticks, sponges, and a trio of teens launching skimmers off soft tops, were scattered from the main peak up.  At first, it seemed pretty much the same everywhere - waist high, with a few plusses, semi-hollow with a few corners.  

But a set rolled through with maybe shoulder-high peaks down at the Main Peak.  Instead of swimming out in an empty stretch just north of the stairs, I went down just past the Main Peak where there was a little gap between the rocks and Main Peak, that seemed to be getting pretty consistent corners.  I had the spot to myself for all but 10 of the next 90 minutes.

The waves were fun, and I had plenty.  There were few lulls and no competition for the waves.  Lots of chest and sometimes shoulder high peaks with nice little corners leading into fast tubes.  I even had a rare "in & out" - cover up inside the tube, then emerging back out onto the wave face.  Also, a long left slide that just kept peeling into the deep inside.

Though I had the GoPro on my wrist, with the poor lighting, small waves and lack of company, I only shot a couple of clips.  The extract above gives a pretty good idea of the semi-hollow, chest-high rights that were coming pretty regularly.

Wishing I'd just slept in?  Nah.  Sometimes good things come in small packages.