Classic Spring Day in the Park

Head-high peaks were in evidence everywhere at 8:30 arrival in the park, but so were the sticks! Seemed almost a solid line of stand-up surfers from the steps through main peak, past the rocks and to LG 1. The photo extracted from a Flip video is a bit fuzzy, but both the peaks and the sticks can be seen:

 

Four heads were already out in the water: Jeff JPL Lashbrook was beginning his switch from snow-skiing to bodysurfing and Chuck Kahuna Herpick had joined Neil Frank & Mark Ghattas in the rapidly warming water.

Mild wind, 63 degree water and sunny skies enduced me to break out the 2mm SS spring suit - what a pleasure to divest the full-body neopreme! Very comfortable through a 2-hour session.

Moving back & forth between main peak, LG1 and peaks between, we managed to get our fair share of waves amidst a great vibe as all seemed to be really enjoying the good surf and beautiful day. The mixed SW and NW swells brought long lefts & rights, some wide tubes on head high faces making for a classic Spring day in the Park.

Walking back to the steps, it was clear that the sand had already started to build back up as beachgoers enjoyed the sun and sand.

Kua Bay Beauty

A year ago, FBI (from big island) bodysurf queen, Noni Roberts, introduced us to Kua Bay, a little gem on the Kohala/Kona coast. Last year, were some barely-rideable shore-break waves.

Heather & I connected with Noni again, in a return to Kua Bay.

 

The beauty of the little, white sand bay lapped by clear azure water is a reflection of our host's beauty of spirit. Noni gives true meaning to the word aloha, bringing us her home-grown mangoes while overflowing in her love of the water and anguish over the plastic bits spoiling the sands.

We had a little more surf today, as miniature, sand-dredging, 2 and 3 foot (faces) slabs pounded in foot-deep water. So wonderful to bask in the warm (low 70s) water, squeezing into mini-tubed closeouts as Heather floated outside the break.

Not an epic surf day, but an afternoon in Kua Bay with Noni will always stick in memory.

Hiatus, Interrupted

The calendar says last weekend in Florida, this weekend off to London, next weekend in DC, and the following in Hawaii; five weeks away from the Pacific and six from Cali surf. Swam in the Atlantic in Florida, just to get salt water wet, and have been hoping for a little spring swell on the Big Island in a couple of weeks.

But for present, the expectation was that I'd be on a trans-Atlantic flight today. Courtesy of mother nature in the guise of an Icelandic volcano, London is off for this week, and cancellation of my London trip was compensated by better than expected surf at the Park today.

My excuse the negative low tide at 6:45, but reality being the Eagles concert at the Hollywood Bowl last night, I got a late start south about 7:45.

Arriving at the Park at 9:00, a combination of South & NorthWest swells made for peaky, head-high surf in warming waters under sunny skies. Clean conditions combined with the rising tide to impel me into the water without pause.

A few sticks were spread around the main peak but only one down at LG1, which appeared to be just as consistent, so Hugh & I walked down there to swim out. For 90 minutes - as Mark and then Ciaccio came and joined us - we pretty much had free reign.

At one point, within just a few minutes of each other, I got two rights that started outside and held up all the way to close out on the sand. Looong rides on nice, open faces, the entire way in. Figured the tide was hitting stride and I'd found just the spot, but then no more followed....

Late in the session, I realized that the sticks had filled in around Mark, Rick and I, but, looking North, Hugh was virtually alone at the main peak. So the three of us swam back up and enjoyed sharing Main Peak with just a couple of surfers and a drifting boog.

Two-plus hours into the session, lulls were growing longer and thoughts drifted to food, when a well formed set, a couple of feet overhead, rolled in, bearing promise of more. Just Rick and I were left, but we extended another 45 minutes and were rewarded with several more of those sets.

Weary and satiated, I staggered out after about 2-3/4 hours.

After a rinse in the beach shower, I went back to the steps to take a few shots of the swell, and found that the Main Peak, which not long before we'd had quite to ourselves had fully filled in with sticks:

 

An incoming set now looked like rush hour:

 

Meanwhile, just a bit closer to the rocks separating main peak from LG1, a nice peak goes unridden:

 

And the best part of yet another, as well:

 

The photos give a little impression of what was coming in this morning, but early, it was so much cleaner...and we had it all to ourselves.

Wonder what the weather's like in London?

An Excellent Sendoff

This week, ultra-core Golden Triangle member Eric ( EY_\ ) Yeisley trades the ocean for the mountains and heads off to a new life in Colorado. Got me thinking back to my first session in the Park. That day, I wrote:

"Just entering the water, a blue-hatted dude drops into a nice little, but long left...one spinner...two spinners...three spinners...close out. Pops up and sez, "you Hank?" Great intro, EY! Way to show the first timer how SCSB is to be ridden!"

Hank...meet the king of the smallies! Yeah, we all know that EY_\ rips, large and small. But he earned the sobriquet, at least from my view, not only because of the length and spinners he milks out of the little ones but also because of his tendency to hang inside, catching at least triple as many waves as I and, most likely, the better, if not bigger, ones.

Crawdaddy's send off video - link here - is a great exhibition of EY_\ at his finest, mid-week last week.

Today was no exception. Yeah, he got his share of set waves, but most of the time, there he was, inside, milking the Park for all it had to offer today. And it had a lot to offer, today, especially early!

EY_\ and Mark (Sailfish) Ghattas had arrived early and were by 7:15. Hugh preceded me, briefly, at 8:00. Park was at its best, at the main peak: lefts & rights peeling off a pitching peak, hollow and fast - but not too fast - with solid juice. Sets were consistent and regular, combed by a steady but mild offshore. A small crew of local sticks - good vibe - were camped on the main peak, but the pod of the body claimed the stretch between the main peak and the rocks, and had it to ourselves until after 9:30.

Sailfish exited to drive EY_\ home about 9:30 while Hugh and I tried to maintain our exclusive peak. By the time Sailfish rejoined us, we were staving off an increasing horde of not-so-local, not-so-aloha surfers, now picking over surf that had lost some size and power and was getting a little crumbly. Hugh exited not long after, and Sailfish and I swam down to LG1 where we had a little more space and snared a few, last good rides before exiting about 10:45. A very satisfying, 2-1/2 hour session, especially when I really didn't expect much today.

Drove home, thinking back over the number of times over the last five years that EY_\'s put out the call for the Park. Over the years, the most consistent company in the water. Always up for it & always psyched. His in the water enthusiasm earned the Golden Triangle the appellation of "talking heads" from the local stick population. No doubt, he made his contributions to our earning the "chatty cathies" title from #9 as well.

EY_\ - look forward to the next time we see you in the Park! Meanwhile, good luck in Colorado!

[Crawdaddy's sendoff video is also linked to the title, above.]

Summer Came Early

Other than 60 degree water, it seemed much more like a summer day in the Park: a moderate swell out of the Southwest, glassy through the morning and clear water on a warm and sunny morning.

I had figured to surf from 8 to 10, but ended up staying in a third hour. South at LG 1 seemed most consistent, so EY, Neil, Mark and I spread out there for a couple of hours while various of the tribe joined Crawdaddy as he filmed from shore: Ciaccio, Steve Short and Kahuna all showed for a bit. Sticks drifted through from time to time, but we had it largely to ourselves.

After a couple of hours, the others (in & out of the water) filtered off to breakfast at Cafe de Sole, but Mark and I stayed in another hour. As we gradually drifted the 1/4 mile back to the stairs, we were rewarded by one of the best sets of the day as we passed by the rock area.

Three memorable rides today:

EY was straight down the line as I took off on a shoulder-high left, offering a hi five. I rose on the face for a solid connection, then spun as I reached the lip and rolled down the face into the close out.

Second was a perfectly formed, big left. Taking off, I pushed to beat the foamball and took a high line onto a sloping, open face that gradually steepened. As it morphed, I dropped down into the mid-face slot and was rewarded with a little tube time before the close out.

Last, as we drifted back North, a nice, clean set off the rock offered another clean left, approaching head high...with no sticks!

I know Crawdaddy shot a lot today; will look forward to seeing if he got anything. Will post the line in my next post.

Meanwhile, here's the link to his memorial of EY's birthday, our frustration and the passing pod from last weekend.

Visitors at High Tide

I feared that the high tide would swamp the modest swell, but that there might be a small window if I gotthe Park a couple of hours before the peak. Besides, it's EY's birthday - gotta show - and a spectacularly beautiful winter morning.

Unfortunately, the fear was well founded, and even at 7:40 it was already swamped. A nice, well-defined 3-4 foot swell, coming in too fat and crumbly for decent bodysurfing - all save the set waves were surging up to the rocks. Really best suited for a long board, but Sailfish (Mark Ghattas) & I suited up and swam right out from the steps while Crawdaddy, still confined to the shore, post-surgery, for a few more weeks, watched and shot a little video. EY_\ (Eric Yeisley) showed up shortly to swim out in the chilly (56) water and collect birthday greetings, while Too Tall (Steve Short) joined Crawdaddy, watching from shore.

Sailfish, assisted by a handboard, managed to snag a few long ones, but for me, it was mostly frustration and alot of kicking for a couple of hours. A few local surfers in the water, hanging around the main peak with us. Sunny and glassy, if the tide had been decent, would have been a classic winter morning.

A large pod of dolphin had been hanging around, and after we exited, lolled in the break straight out from the steps while Hugh, a late arrival, and I shot a few pictures:

 
Click on either photo to see large.
 

I also stitched several together into a short video that also gives a glimpse of the beauty of the Park on a sunny winter morning. You can view by clicking here or on the title above. View the video in 1080p HD.

Even if the surf left alot to be desired, you still have to love a morning like this in early March!

Jones

Last water time - February 14.

As recounted in the last entry, the 20th/21st was windblown chop. The next weekend, Sunday (28th), the Park was firing big - up to 12 foot faces - but unmanageable due to strong currents and tides, and full of debris. Reports from Neil and Mark in Newport was that it was not surfable. This past weekend, it stormed Saturday (3/6) through the early morning hours of Sunday, leaving Sunday small, windblown and dirty.

Late December through mid-February brought a great run of swells and decent conditions. This weekend will make it a month since last water time. Unfortunately, current forecasts are for a small weekend and perhaps questionable conditions.

If there's no surf this weekend, the last time I would have gone this long without surf was late 2008, a year & a quarter ago.

What's one to do, but relive through photo & video? On Jan 9, Hugh shot a series of still sequences that he gave me. I'd put some of the stills up on Picasa, but while reliving a sparkling, sunny, winter morning, experimenting with FlipShare, I knitted together a video of the sequences and put it up on YouTube. Turned out ok.

Gotta deal with the jones somehow.