'Ceptional Saturday Spring Session at SCSP

To think I almost didn't go this morning!

Grey morning, too much to do, concern with a negative low tide at 9:00...but the cams looked decent at 6:00, so...the reward was an hour of the Park at its best.

When I arrived,  it appeared a little lumpy but peaks were popping up from North of the Main Peak to South of LG 1:

As I watched, two sets of solid, overhead rolled in.  Off to suit up!!!

The sticks were ripping everywhere...

I grabbed a ride out to the lineup in a rip tugging out just North of the rocks, then the current moving North set me right in the Main Peak at a time when most of the sticks had drifted North and were working their way back.  Greeted Craig in the water and spotted a set coming.

My first wave may have been the best of the day...the best of 2011, so far, for me.  A peak of about 10 feet loomed in front of me, with a bowling shoulder on the left.  Dropped in and found myself on a large, soft-faced, slow-moving mound of water.  A thick wave, and the size brought power, but the gradual slope of the face and the slow-peeling lip gave me time to twice cut back (well, at least insofaras a bodysurfer can) with a double-handed plane then dig back into the cut.  As it moved inside, the wave steepened into a fast, pitching 7 foot face.  Pulling into full, layout position, I had several seconds, covered up, clinging to the face, before a final closeout inside.  That wave alone made a five star day.

From 8:00-9:00, there were 6-10 foot (face) peaks all over the place from above the Main Peak, continuously down to LG 1.  Some crumbed and some of the sets closed out but most would open up into hollow walls with lots of tube time as many bowled in the inside.  Craig was with his son Seth., who was carving up knee rides on a boog.  Quite a few sticks, the two of us bodysurfing and a handful of boogs scattered across the crests in a morning filled with stoke, good vibes and plenty of fun rides for all, interrupted by occasional lulls.

The tide bottomed about 9:00, for an extended lull, then conditions slowly deteriorated from 9:30 - 11:00 as the sun came out and wind shifted.

61/62 felt balmy in full suit.  As the session ended, an exceptional spring morning spread across the beach...capstone to a truely exceptional Saturday Spring Session at SCSP.

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.

Second Hand Surf

Well, no surf this weekend.  Conditions just didn't want to come together, even though there was some solid swell coming in.  

Friday would have been the day: 90+ degrees in town, bright & sunny, water in the Park warming up all the way to 64, and some clean, head-high+ waves coming in.  By Saturday morning, though, the "cold" front coming in brought a stiff cross-wind, chopping it all up...overcast, choppy and much cooler.  This morning didn't seem promising, but it didn't look to bad on the cams.  I've yet to receive a report.

Meanwhile, it's nice to see that fall will bring the release of Keith Malloy's cinematic ode to bodysurfing.  Check the trailer out


Come Hell or High Water Trailer from Woodshed Films on Vimeo.

Maybe that will help garner a bit of respect.

Or...reminisce over last weekend, courtesy of Crawdaddy:

Park Delivers, Wish I'd Received More!

Anticipation was pretty high for a good session, with a solid swell coming in and conditions expected to clean up after the chain of storms that battered SoCal over the last week.  Hugh had reported 12, even 15, foot faces yesterday evening, and even the water temp had broken into the sixties.  But an early check of the surfcams showed some serious "morning sickness" - unsettled, choppy waters, causing pretty lumpy surf.  But there was swell, and an itch to get wet, so I hit the road for "the Park."  

As I parked & walked to the rail, a good sized set - a foot or two overhead - rolled in.  As the  two photos below show, it was still a lttle lumpy, but a mild offshore was smoothing the inside, and there were both size and corners.  Note the two sticks off to the left for scale. 

Suited up, Mark, Neil, Hugh & I entered right at the peak shown above, which was empty at that point, while sticks were rapidly filling at the Main Peak slightly South.  The water temp, listed at 58 at the pier felt several degrees colder, but there were some fairly hollow sets rolling in, with short lulls in between.  A solid rip current hung between the peaks, offering an "elevator" out to the break.

The first 20 minutes were great, with some fast, hollow lefts & rights on seven to nine foot faces.  Hugh, Mark and Neil drifted South with the current to compete for the peaks with the growing pod of sticks while I hung at the original peak, which was more closed out but empty.  

I noticed Brent Crawford, waving from the side of the train track on shore, video camera in hand.  Immediately, a long lull set in.  Brent whistled from shore, and a fairly closed-out, two wave set arrived outside.  Barely able to set up for the second, I took off late, failed to make the drop and pulled a classic over-the-falls for the video.  Oh, well.

Yet another lull...a bit of frustration, looking South to Main Peak where it seemed to be building consistency...but as I toyed with relocating, another whistle, and again I'm too far in.  This time, on the second wave, I at least get headed down the face before the bottom drops out and over the falls again!  I can't remember the last time I took two OTF in a single session, much less back to back!

Time to head south, where the others are now sharing shifting peaks between the rocks and "Main Peak" with about twenty sticks.  It's more crowded than we've seen in ages, outside of summer, but it's mainly the local crowd and vibe is good.  Still, it's tough for a bodysurfer to compete for waves with the more mobile board surfers.

For another twenty minutes, I never seemed to be able to be in the right place at the right time...if there wasn't a stick dropping in before me, I was too far in or too far out.  The peaks were shifting, but not for me!  Finally, I spotted a large bump outside, about four waves out.  Glancing around, it appeared that none of the surfers close to me had seen it.  Discretely, I started swimming for the outside.  Nobody else was moving, and I was nearing the take off zone when one board surfer saw the swell and paddled out - deeper than where I'd be able to take off.  Of course, he launched...but the sets were coming in pairs right?  Not this one.

Shortly, Crawdaddy took off, and, of course, in the final twenty minutes, I was able to score a series of smaller, but pretty sweet, rides.  Through the 100 minute session, lumpiness subsided and the lines cleaned up, and the wind didn't shift to onshore until the end.

It was a good session, for me, but better than that for the others.  Hugh & Mark were both really stoked as we walked back to the parking lot.  It leaves me with mixed feelings - it was a good, solid session, but, with the waves and conditions, it could have, should have, been great.  

The shot above, taken after the session, and after the wind moved onshore, still shows how the lines cleaned up not long into the session.

The wrap was a quick breakfast at Adele's, then back on the road home.  All in all, gotta be satisfied.

A Rare Winter Visit to the Peninsula

Even while posting this, I've an eye to continuing breaking news out of Japan in the aftermath of earthquake and tsunami...during today's session, Gaia's power was ever in mind.  

(Pictures below...be patient.) 

Only a few times a year, I'll surf Newport in winter.  The jetties (30th - 50th), which are more consistent in winter, are pain to park in on a weekend morning and are often too crowded with too much attitude if they're working.  I love the peninsula (13th - 19th), but it's inconsistent in winter and, most often, five degrees colder than the Park.

But Mark (Ghattas) had related that he'd had an amazing afternoon yesterday at 15th and was anxious to return this morning, notwithstanding expectations of significantly smaller swells.  SCSP water temperature had been hitting 60 the last couple of days, a temptation on an overcast winter morning, and the forecasts showed a little more swell on a morning that looked like it might be pretty weak.  An early check of the webcams was inconclusive - San Clemente wasn't looking like much, but the tide was still dropping.

So, I headed South, awaiting eyewitness feedback.  As I approached decision point: the 5 x 55 interchange, Mark was checking the point (19th) and reporting at least something there to ride.  55 it is!  12 minutes later, I pulled into the 15th Street meters, met up with Mark, and went out to check it out.

At first, a set rolled in:

But then, we watched and didn't see much more.  You can see - it was grey and dreary, and we knew the water was going to be a definite chill.  Mark was teetering on departing, and I on heading South to the Park, where at least it would be warm.  As we vacillated, a couple strolled by on a Sunday walk close to shore (click for full screen):

But, we're here...there've been a couple of waves...at least get wet.

Good call!

Through a two hour session, there were plenty of peaky waves, lefts and rights, ranging from waist to even head high.  The peninsula puts a little extra juice into almost anything, so there was plenty of push and some nice barrels to complement some long slides as we drifted between 15th & 17th.  

Yeah, the water was cold...a few "ice cream headaches" and aching hands in the first hour, but it was glassy and consistent.  In the second hour, as the sun emerged, it seemed to warm up.

Amongst many very fun waves, I had a couple of memorable ones.  First was a left - the lefts were a bit faster & shorter than the rights, but hollow - maybe only chest-high, but the curtain closed over me yet held open - Newport pier visible out the opening four feet ahead of me - and gave me a full three-second count before closing out.

Wave of the day ... and one of the best in recent months ... was a head high peak at 17th.  I dropped into a steep right face, climbed into the slot and got covered up... and then came out.  Worked the wave face, up and down, for another 20-30 yards, before it tubed up again for a nice cover-up before close out, close to shore.

The waves held up through the morning - above shot after we got out, after a mild onshore picked up.

The one taint on the morning was a high school aged jerk on a stick that dropped in repeatedly on Mark.  Rather than backing off when Mark asked him about it, he suggested that, since bodysurfers are able to surf a closed out wave, guys on boards were entitled to snake them on better-formed waves.  It's unfortunate that this kind of ignorance is too common amongst brash, young surfers, though not shared by those they idolize.  What was really strange is that his father was out with him, on a long board.  The father, a Tim Robbins look-alike, readily acknowledged his son's penchant for snaking even him, but seemed to think it mildly amusing.  The son was an ass; the father nice enough but clueless.  Wonder if there's a connection?

It's hard to figure out how to deal with stoke-killers like that.  But it was kind of cool - as Mark & I gradually worked our way back south the the 15th St. LG stand, there was another surfer - upper 20's - who'd been close by earlier but had moved south to ride the peak down there.  As we swam by, he asked if we'd had our fill of the "stoke" of the little pod that included the father & son ... clearly, as put off as we were.

But that was a small blemish on a great morning.  A solid, two-hour session with plentiful waves and some excellent rides.  Really nice to get back in on the Newport peninsula, where I've spent so many hundreds of hours over the years.

Sunday Smallies on a Summery San Clam Morn

This morning was just as expected.  Small waves, but not too small to ride, on a beautiful, warm winter morning.

To give a little perspective on "the Park" that dominates these blog entries, the picture below shows the Calafia parking lot, a few feet from the tracks and the water.  Our observation "rail" is on the beach side of the tracks, just to the right of the RR lights and left of the closest palm.  "Main Peak" would line up, in this shot, beyond the two palms furthest left, and "LG1," named for the first Lifeguard stand, would be  further left, just hidden by the bluff.  "The Rocks" are halfway between. (As always, a click on the photo will bring up a full size view.)

Bret Belyea came up from San Diego, on his way to something in Orange County.  He  & Mark were suiting up as I pulled in a few minutes after 8:00.  A good sign...when it's lousy, guys just hang around watching.  Neil had already headed up to his parking spot atop the bluff.  We were in the water by quarter after, electing to go out at LG1, where it appeared more consistent and hollower.

It was small - mostly waist & chest high waves - but clean and hollow.  Lots of little tubes.  For the first hour, though, I got a score of right tubes.  Each would hold open a couple of seconds, brightly illuminated by the 

winter sun in the south; sparkling crystal, feathering lip.  A phenomenon only to witnessed in clean surf on a clear, winter morning such as this.  

Through a session that neared two hours, a mild south would texture the surface - perhaps also holding those little right tubes open as a gift? - then ease and it would glass over.  The water was chillier that expected - ice cream headaches from any extended dunk in the earlier hour - but the air was warming and beachgoers in summer attire filtered onto the beach.  For an hour, there was no one to be seen in the water from Cottons to T Street.  Later, three surfers from the campground floundered at the main peak for a while, but it was really just the four of us and the expansive ocean.

Outside, a gaggle of boats were working the kelp beds - see the photo above.  To the northwest, Catalina Island was visible through the summery haze - see below.

So, the surf was fun...it doesn't have to have size, especially when it's hollow, with a little punch, and decent corners.  The beautiful morning didn't hurt!

Sunday Surprise in the Park

[Post-session pictures follow the main narrative.]

It's interesting how good something can seem when you go in with low expectations!  

The forecast through the week was for a fading swell.  Surfline projected "1-2" and the chart on SwellInfo was showing just below waist high.  But as Saturday progressed, there were signs that it might be a little better than that for the tidal push - 8:15-10:00 -  and at day's end SwellInfo was showing shoulder high and good conditions.

The morning beach cams were inconclusive. Bret Belyea, who was contemplating coming up from Encinitas, decided to pass, but I headed South at sunrise, not expecting much.  Though cold and clear as I departed Pasadena, dense fog smothered much of Orange County.

Craig Thomson was waiting at the rail when I arrived, studying what little could be seen from shore, due to the fog.  A few sets were coming through, chest high and fairly hollow, but pretty walled off.  A chill breeze came cross-shore, giving pause to the thought of entering cooling waters.  Though we could only see directly in front of the steps, it appeared that no one was in the water.

Nonetheless, we went back to suit up, as Mark Ghattas pulled up.  As we suited up, the fog thinned a bit.  Walking South on the beach, we could see the Main Peak and beyond.  A few waves were coming in, but Mark remarked that it might be a short session.  Just get wet, get a taste, then go warm up.  Maybe "three-minus" on the WetSand five-point scale.

8:30, we swam out at the Main Peak in chilly, but not frigid, 57-58 degree water, glancing hopefully up to overhead patches where the fog seemed to be thinning.  Air temp below 50, pushed by the breeze, cut through the 3:2 suit.  Nobody but us in the water.

As soon as I got out, I hooked into a nice, chest-high wave that offered a nice drop and short tube before closing out.  Within 15 minutes, each of the three of us had snagged four decent rides, warming our bodies and attitudes.

At 8:45, the waves jumped up a foot or two, and with the size began catching the sandbar at the Main Peak, as well as outside the Rocks just to the South.  Two surfers paddled out, and for the next hour, the five of us shared chest and head-high waves, even a few larger, at the Main Peak and Rocks.  Mark grabbed a long, long left, all the way to shore just before I hooked into a large right, that I nabbed right at the corner and dropped in for a long one the other way.  About half-way through the wave, I was startled as the back of a board brushed my fingertips and shot out in front of me.  

The vibe in the water had been good, and we'd been chatting with the surfers while trading waves, so as he paddled out, I just said, "Hey man, I was in that one and you came right across my face."  He looked chagrined and said, "Sorry, man, I didn't see ya."  

I figured he'd keep an eye out, but within a minute or two the scene repeated itself as he dropped in on Mark, well down the line from the peak where Mark had started.  Oh, well.... 

Through the hour, there were plenty of long slides and more than a few hollow tubes that held open surprisingly long.  I had one shoulder high + right, early on, that appeared a close out.  I pulled in and found myself in a long, dimly glowing, blue-green tunnel, with no opening at the end.  I held the line, though, and slid though the fully closed cylinder for almost three seconds before it all collapsed.

After an hour, the Main Peak lost its consistency, so we floated South to LG1 to see if it was any better.  A good set rolled in, just as we arrived, but long lulls settled in afterwards.  A few more rides and we staggered out, fully satiated from an expectedly good session.  "Three-minus"?  No way...for an hour, it was one of the best recent sessions in the Park.  Gotta give it a "four."

After the session, I shot a few pictures from the rail, for those who doubted there was any swell today.  Though it had gotten mushy and lost some size, and these were shot at full high tide (the Park does not do well at high tide), they'll give some idea, anyway.  Above is a shoulder-high wave at the main peak with a couple of surfers for scale.  

Another peak, maybe chest-high, offering both left & right. 

Although somewhat smaller - this is a little over waist-high, though there's nothing for scale - here's an idea of the rights that were coming in earlier, a lot bigger.

Though he didn't join us in the water - other than the three of us, there was never more than one or two surfers out, and for much of the session, we had the entire stretch from Cottons to Riviera to ourselves - Hugh met us after the session.  Here he is (right), with Craig and Mark.